Male – Jacob Therrien, Men’s Soccer
Jacob Therrien (Welland) of the Niagara Knights men’s soccer program has been named the Niagara College male athlete of the week.
The third year Carpentry Renovations student set put in a workman like performance in a pair of games against the Fanshawe Falcons and St. Clair Saints this past week. Providing the Knights with 180 minutes of service, Therrien continued to demonstrate why he is one of the core leadership components of the Knights roster.
"Jake covers a lot of ground for us, wins balls, and keeps things under control from his his holding midfielder position," said Head Coach Frank DeChellis. "As a coaching staff, we have been around the OCAA for a long time and there are very few players who can ping the ball around with as much accuracy as Jake."
Adding to the intrigue is that the Knights coaching staff, all local products, have seen Therrien grow as both a soccer play and person. "Rob (Lalama), Rino (Berardi), and Gerry (Condon) and I have had a soccer connection with the Therrien family since Jake was 6, so having him here with us at the college has been nothing short of a pleasure. He's a tremendous player and a fine young man."
With the regular season now complete, the Knights now have their sights set on the OCAA Playoffs. The Knights will open the playoffs with an OCAA Crossover game on October 20th, when they host the Seneca Sting. Kickoff is set for 3:30pm at Youngs Sportsplex.
Female – Kaitlyn Mix, Women’s Soccer
Women’s soccer player Kaitlyn Mix (Gilford) has been named the Niagara College female athlete of the week.
The first-year pre-health sciences student tallied the 5th and 6th goals of her rookie campaign in a pair of matches this past week. She opened the scoring in a 4-1 loss against the Fanshawe Falcons. She also added the game winning tally in the season concluding victory over the St. Clair Saints, knocking home a ball in the 82nd minute to secure the victory.
"We stepped it up and kept pushing at the end of the game to secure the win," said Mix of her late goal against St. Clair and her team's overall performance. "Despite giving up one late, we didn't back down and let them tie it up."
Alongside teammate Michelle Maecker (Fonthill), Mix has evolved into one half of the Knights two headed attack on the front end of the field. The pair combined for 13 of the Knights 17 regular season goals, and will look to continue demonstrating their scoring prowess as the playoffs approach.
Niagara will now focus on the OCAA Playoffs, as they seek the first postseason win in program history. The Knights will host the George Brown Huskies on October 20th at Youngs Sportsplex. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30pm, and admission is free for all spectators.
