By Bernie Pulchalski, BP Sports
The next chapter of Sydney Sica's soccer career will play out at Niagara College.
Sica, who was part of Saint Michael Catholic High School squads that qualified for three straight Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championships and won two provincial silver medals, spent one year at Ryerson and two years with the Brock Badgers women's program before signing with Niagara on the weekend.
"I love being in a group of girls, especially in the soccer culture. With team bonding, it is a great way to make friends while you enjoy the college and university experience," the 22-year-old Niagara Falls native said. "It's a great experience and it teaches you a lot about time management and being a student/athlete."
She was also drawn to Niagara by the school's two-year nursing program.
"I know they provide a lot of great opportunities in the health care field, especially from a clinical standpoint, and I really wanted to get that experience with the simulations and the real life situations they provide."
Sica, who will graduate from Brock this spring with a bachelor of science degree with a major in medical science, contacted Niagara College head coach Rob Lalama early in the COVID-19 pandemic to express interest in playing on his squad.
Lalama welcomed the interest and he is excited to have her join the Knights' program.
"She is an accomplished player," he said. "She's been a very good player against very good competition at the Canadian university level. She makes our team better as we continue to build this program in our quest for a provincial championship."
Sica can play midfield or striker.
"I was put at striker at Brock because we didn't have a striker," she said, with a laugh. "I am a very controlled player, I like the ball at my feet and I like to control the game. I like to make those playmaking decisions that affect the game."
The former travel played with Niagara United and a recent member of the St. Catharines Jets women's team can't wait to get started with her new team.
"I am looking forward to playing my last two seasons as a varsity athlete and getting to know all the girls. On the road trips, you make memories and friends that last forever."
She would love to win a championship at Niagara College.
"I'm hoping that my experience helps myself and also the players around me because we all have to get better as a team to reach our goal," she said. "Rob told me their goal for a while was to make the OCAAs (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association championships) and now that they did that, they want to win games and possibly win the OCAAs with the new recruits coming in."
The pandemic has obviously made training difficult but Sica is trying to do as much as she can to stay in shape.
"We haven't had much access to gyms like we did before COVID and even during COVID so I go for runs and I do some small, in-home stuff like cone drills and wall ball which is really good for touch. They are really basic things to keep my touch and keep me fit."
Like many athletes, the COVID-induced absence from soccer has changed her outlook on the sport.
"It has made me more appreciative, especially over the next two years," she said. "It would be really heartbreaking if they cancelled this season because it is my last two years. I want them to go well and enjoy the experience."
