THUNDER BAY – Lakehead Express Soccer Club (LEX) U18 Girls will be travelling this weekend to Ottawa, to participate in the 2010 Kanata Invitational Showcase Soccer Tournament. This will be the Lakehead Express’ fifth consecutive appearance at the tournament.
In the four years the club has previously sent a senior women’s team, the teams reached the semi-finals in the first year, winning gold the second, a semi-final showing in the third, and winning a silver medal at last year’s tournament.
The tournament provides a forum for invited teams to showcase players to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) academic institutions. Recent club grads Kelsey Tikka (CIS and OUA Rookie of the Year), Amanda Mithrush, Kaitlyn Quarrell, Sara Dorval, Vanessa Smykalski and Sabrina Carew were approached by scouts after being showcased at this tournament and Ontario Indoor Cup.
U18 Girls Coach, Rob Pasqualino, has been working hard to prepare this year’s team for the high caliber of competition seen at this tournament. LEX Scouting and Recruitment Coach, Pepe Garieri, will be attending to introduce the scouts to the players, and give them an understanding of who the players are on and off the field. While each player on the roster will catch the eye of the scouts, some players have garnered early interest from scouts.
Team captain Erin Pomonti and several other players from this year’s graduating class have inspired some early discussions with the coaches. There will be a keen eye on Haleigh Robertson and Jess Mithrush, who are both 2012 grads, and performed exceptionally well at last year’s tournament. Both players participated in the Regional identification camps, with Robertson training with the Provincial Team in 2008. This year’s squad will also feature several junior players from the club, with four players coming up from the U16 age group to participate and gain experience in this tournament.
Follow the action online at www.kanatasoccer.com.