April 27th, 2020...WELLAND - The Niagara College Women's soccer program is pleased to announce the signing of local product, Alyssa Arcand.
The Port Colborne native sealed the deal with head coach Rob Lalama over the weekend from home.
"Alyssa is a great addition to our program,"said head coach Rob Lalama. "She has a great attitude and is a player who will improve the quality of our program here at Niagara."
Arcand was first brought to Lalama's attention by men's assistant coach Rino Berardi. Berardi serves as a recruiter for both Niagara soccer programs, and was recently named the recipient of the Luciano Berardocco award at the 2020 Knights Athletics Banquet.
"During the high school soccer season, we watched numerous games in preparation for the selection process of our annual Niagara College Soccer Showcase game- Alyssa was one of those players that caught our attention immediately," said Berardi. "Alyssa is a high skill player with the speed and quickness to create separation from defenders."
Arcand has an impressive resume coming to the Knights,playing for the Niagara International FC team in the Thruway Soccer League which is made up of premier teams in Central and Western New York State. This season, her and Niagara International FC will compete in the Premier International League in Western New York.
Arcand also had the opportunity to train with the Portuguese Benefica National Team in 2019 and was named Athlete of the Year at Jean Vanier High School in 2019.
While everything is on track to begin the OCAA soccer season come September, Arcand is set to begin her Niagara College career path in the Pre-Health Science program.
"Pre-health was a very good suit for me, as i love studying science," said Arcand, who is excited to attend college close to home and play in front of a home town crowd. "Niagara College is close to home for me and I think it's a great social environment to adapt to."
