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Durham United F.C. Women Take League1 By Storm

By lo admin, 06/12/15, 3:45PM EDT

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Durham United F.C. Women Take League1 By Storm

Fri Jun 12 
Written By: Kelly, Tim
 

Durham United F.C. women’s coach Tony La Ferrara couldn't have dreamed up a better start for his team, as the club has raced out to a 3-0 start in the league, scoring ten goals and allowing none so far.

In the inaugural League 1 Ontario Women's 2015 season, Durham United FC is clearly the team to beat in the early stages. The team is the only one that hasn't lost or drawn a match so far.

La Ferrara said that a lot of the credit for the fast start goes to the players who have been together for at least a decade or more.

"We know a lot of these kids. Most of them have grown up in Pickering and have played together since they were eight or nine. We have added a few very good experienced players," said La Ferrara.

He said the team was put together in just a week and that he had only a couple of training sessions to get ready before the first league game, a 2-0 win over North Mississauga SC at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton on May 23.

Since then, Durham United FC Women have followed up with a 5-0 home win over Vaughan Azzurri Women on May 30 and then defeated Woodbridge Strikers 3-0 in Vaughan on June 7.

The team has been getting balanced scoring, although Alexandria Lamontagne (a member of the Canadian under-20 women’s program) leads the club with three goals in league play. She shares the league lead with Nadya Gill of Vaughan and Kelsey Araujo of ANB Futbol.

"Alex is a quality player," said La Ferrara.

Rachel Hoekstra and Taylor Potts have two goals each for Durham United FC and Katelyn Arathoon, Maddie Iozi and Tamara Brown have each scored one goal. Add in goals scored in the L1 Cup however, and Lamontagne's statistics balloon to six, Danielle Rotheram and Taylor Potts sit on three a piece, and Rachel Hoekstra has two to her name.

DUFC: ALEXANDRIA LAMONTAGNE

La Ferrara said it's good that his club doesn’t rely too heavily on one or two players to do all the scoring and likes having the goals spread around.

"The way we play we don't have a fixed striker. During the game everybody has that opportunity to go for goals and it's good to see that everybody is taking their opportunities."

As fine as Durham United FC is at scoring goals, they are also just as good at keeping them out of the net, with none allowed in three games.

The coach said he depends on the quality play of his sister act at centre back, the Desouza girls, Briana and Kayla, who he can't say enough about.

"They're amazing. Their positioning is excellent, they're so smart, so intelligent off the ball, they're just very good players," sums up La Ferrara.

 

And every first-rate club needs a first-rate goalkeeper. La Ferrara will put his stopper up against anyone's.

He sings the praises of Nora Abolins.

"I've been around soccer for a long time and I don't say this often about young players, but she is a special young lady. She's brilliant. We're talking about her every day. She's just a very good keeper, she understands the game very well, I wouldn't hesitate one second on recommending her (to the national team)."

DUFC: NORA ABOLINS

La Ferrara really likes what he has seen three games into the inaugural season of League 1 Ontario Women’s soccer.

"It's a young league and it's good, it's only going to get better. No disrespect to the men but I think there is more potential to grow within the women's game than the men's. We're happy and blessed and lucky to have good quality players on the team - their character is just unbelievable."

Check out Durham in action this Saturday June 13, as they host ANB Futbol at Oshawa Civic Field #1, 5 p.m. kickoff.