Male – Oti Frigole, Men’s Soccer

Men’s soccer player Oti Frigole has been named the Niagara College male athlete of the week.

A first-year forward from St. Catharines, Frigole kicked off his collegiate career in style as the Knights defeated the Mountaineers 3-2 at home on September 8th. After going down 1-0, Frigole scored a pair of dazzling goals to pull the Knights ahead of the Mountaineers. After the Mountaineers drew back even, Frigole skirted past two defenders with some fancy footwork to setup teammate Noah DiEgidio for what would be the game winning tally.

Head Coach Frank DeChellis was impressed with the calmness that Frigole approached the game with. “Oti did not look like a first year player today. He fit in very will with the group and worked at the level required to succeed in the OCAA,” said DeChellis of the young striker.

Frigole and his teammates will look to build upon the momentum gained this weekend with a pair of games in the province’s western end. The Knights will visit the St. Clair Saints in Windsor on Saturday before travelling to Sarnia to visit the Lambton Lions on Sunday.

Female – Sophia Al-Kayed, Women’s Soccer

Sophia Al-Kayed of the women's soccer program has been named the Niagara College female athlete of the week.

Despite a 3-0 season opening loss against a feisty Mohawk Mountaineers squad, the first-year midfielder and St. Francis graduate worked tirelessly in the midfield to stymie additional attack from the visitors. With Mohawk controlling much of the play, Al-Kayed was able to match them stride for stride and make a number of strong plays on the ball.

“In her first collegiate game Sophia worked hard all afternoon,” said Head Coach Rob Lalama. “She had a great work rate and high compete level throughout the match.”

Niagara will look to get in the win column in a pair of road matches this weekend. The Knights head west to visit the St. Clair Saints in Windsor on Saturday before travelling to Sarnia to visit the Lambton Lions on Sunday.