The Simon Fraser University women's soccer team added five players to its roster this fall.
With no returning seniors to the varsity squad, the Clan added two premier league players in Amanda Gilliland and Shivani Sami of Burnaby.
Both Women's Metro League players recently finished off their youth careers with the Total Soccer Systems women's team and their experience playing at the senior level should help the duo transition into NCAA play in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
Gilliland, is a goalkeeper and will be competing for playing time as a freshman.
"I'm expecting Amanda to come in and compete for some quality minutes this fall," said head coach Shelley Howieson. "She has the ability to have a positive impact on games and has a good presence on the field. I'm excited to have a keeper with her experience join our program."
Sami is a solid contributor on the left side of the field. She is known as a hard worker with the ability to maintain possession up the flank which will be an asset for the Clan in the upcoming season.
"I really like Shivani's work rate and ability to attack the wide space on the field. She can whip a ball into the box with great consistency and that will help with our offensive production," continued Howieson.
Three more players will be joining the Clan, all which are coming to SFU from the High Performance soccer league.
Brianna Morrison from Pitt Meadows and Olivia Aguiar of Coquitlam both come to SFU from the Coquitlam Metro-Ford's under-18 HPL team.
"I'm very impressed with Brianna's rehab from a devastating knee injury. It tells me that we have a player who is dedicated and will push that extra mile to get the most out of a situation. Every time I see her play she does something that excites me about having her in our program," said Howieson.
Morrison adds depth to the back line for SFU, while Aguia will be competing for a spot in the midfield.
"Olivia brings an offensive threat to the midfield that will have defenders wrong footed and chasing her in many situations this fall. I really like her vision and ball skills. I think she will be able to create some excellent scoring opportunities in every game," continued Howieson.
Julie Devriendt of Delta will bring some positive energy into the midfield.
She finished off her u-18 season with Surrey United in the HPL league and is known as a strong tackler who is able to play both defensive and offensive roles on the field.
"Julie brings great energy to the field and is a tenacious tackler. She has a tremendous work rate and always wins balls that most players give up on. She will create many offensive opportunities and will shut down the opponents advances this fall," finished Howieson.
