The Niagara College women's soccer program is proud to announce the addition of midfielder Renee LaFrance. The Burlington native joins the Knights via transfer from the University of the Cumberlands Patriots where she spent the 2016-17 season competing in the Mid-South Conference in Kentucky. She also competes for the Burlington U21 program and is a graduate of Robert Bateman High School.
"Renee is a very strong midfield player with good size and good strength" said Niagara College women's soccer head coach Rob Lalama. "She is a physical player who is able to win those essential 1v1 battles. She is also a great passer and possesses a real cracker of a shot. We are excited to have her join our program."
LaFrance played in six games with the Cumberland Patriots this season. She was named the Robert Bateman female athlete of the year in 2016, and participated in the Team Ontario Provincial identification system. She will enroll in the Niagara College Sport Management program beginning in September.
"The first thing that drew me to Niagara College is that it offers Sport Management and not many other schools do not" said LaFrance during a scholarship signing event at the Niagara College athletic centre. "The College also just felt so welcoming, and I feel like I can make the school feel like a home away from home."
In addition to her physical tools, Lalama added "she is a good team leader, who makes other players look better. She will also add strong game knowledge to our team next season."
LaFrance will join a Niagara College women's soccer program that has made major strides over the last two seasons. The team will return highly talented players at key positions in 2017 including midfielder and Niagara College overall rookie of the year award winner Kara Latham and 2016 team MVP centerback Shannon Halliday.
"I want to be the best player that I can be, and play a positive role in working with the team to achieve our goal of winning. Over my three years at Niagara I want to see the team keep progressing, and build a strong team both on and off the field" added LaFrance.
LaFrance and the rest of the Niagara College women's soccer program will return to the pitch when training camp opens at Youngs SportsPlex on August 15th.
