Lancers boast an all-star recruiting class
It’s a recruiting class head coach Steve Hart believes will keep the momentum moving forward for the University of Windsor Lancers women’s soccer program.
Coming off the school’s first OUA Final Four appearance, Hart has added six recruits for the 2017-18 season that he believes can take the Lancers to even greater heights.
“We don’t want to just keep the ball rolling, but push it even harder,” Hart said.
Highlighting Hart’s recruiting class is Holy Names defender Jade Samping and Toronto striker Sophia Ferrazzo.
The 18-year-old Samping, who also plays for the Eastside Kickers, appeared headed to the United States to pursue an NCAA scholarship.
“It was actually pretty tough,” Samping said of finally selecting the Lancers. “I had some offers from other schools and when I talked to coach Steve, he really convinced me to come here.
“He put things in perspective for me and really got me to think about things I hadn’t thought about before. Just to think about the future with this team. We’re all relatively young and excited to see what we have.”
In the 17-year-old Ferrazzo, the Lancers add a legitimate striker to the lineup, which is a spot Hart has always had to juggle to fill.
“I like the law program. I like the city and the campus is beautiful,” said Ferrazzo, who is from Vaughan.
A member of the North Toronto Nitros, Ferrazzo scored 20 goals in 34 games last year and led the team to the U18 Provincial Indoor Soccer League Championship in April.
“Steve’s a good coach who will help my game grow,” said Ferrazzo, who picked Windsor over York and Nipissing. “From my personal perspective, I think this team can go to the final.”
Hart added a second striker in the recruiting class in Villanova high school product Savannah Marra, Samping’s teammate on the Eastside Kickers. Marra has led Eastside in scoring the past two seasons.
Marra and Samping were both WECSSAA first-team all-star selections along with fellow recruits Lindsey Campbell, who played at Villanova, and Amanda Anger, who played at St. Anne. Both are defenders. Midfielder Stephanie Turner, another recruit from Holy Names, was a WECSSAA secondteam all-star selection.
“It’s great to get all of these girls from the Windsor area and they’re all all-stars,” Hart said. “We’re pretty excited for this coming year.”