Jefferson Hagen / MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Two talented California recruits are joining the 2018 MacEwan Griffins women's soccer roster, head coach Dean Cordeiro announced on Thursday.
La Mirada, Calif., high school teammates and good friends Lauren Garcia and Cassandra Loza will play for the Griffins starting with the 2018 Canada West season next fall.
"We're excited about them," said Cordeiro. "They have a bright future. They're quality people and strong student-athletes. Really, that's what we're about.
"We're finding that match in terms of academics," he added, noting they're both planning to enter MacEwan's renowned Nursing program. "Obviously, the soccer part of it is the cherry on top. These two kids will bring a lot to the table for our program, not only in this incoming year, but future years, as well."
The pair are also teammates on the L.A. Galaxy Orange County club team – two of 12 players in that program graduating to post-secondary programs next season.
Cordeiro travelled to California to see them play back in November and came away impressed. A contact he has with the L.A. Galaxy – Luis Cruz – initially let him know about Garcia and Loza's skill-sets.
"Lauren's just a technician – fits our game perfectly with the way she controls the tempo of the game in midfield," said Cordeiro. "She just has great vision, great ability to distribute the ball, the ability to score goals from range. She very much fits our playing style to a T. We're very excited about what she can bring to our central midfield."
Loza also fits the Griffins' style nicely and brings the versatility university teams are looking for.
"She's a pacey player, plays with an edge," said Cordeiro. "She's a left-footed player who can play on the left, whether it be in the fullback role or as a winger, but also inside. She's just very versatile and is a quality footballer.
"Both kids are looking at our nursing program, they're 4.0 students. It's just a perfect fit. They've done the research of our nursing program and know it's one of our flagship programs and were really interested in an experience moving away from home."
Garcia and Loza will join fellow American recruit Anna McPhee of Seattle on the Griffins next season, although she counts as a domestic player because her mother is Canadian.
It's a testament to how far the program has come – (the Griffins are coming off a fourth-place finish in Canada West) – that top American recruits are moving north to Edmonton.
"We brought them both (in for a visit) and they loved the campus," said Cordeiro of Garcia and Loza. "They interacted with the team and loved what they saw there. They're quality footballers. Credit to coach Cruz, as well as coach (Dave) Christensen – their high school coach – they have their players playing a similar brand of football to what we play. They loved how technical we are, keeping the ball and just our playing philosophy and methodology. It just fit really well and they wanted a little bit of a different experience than what they've had in California.
"They had some really strong offers to stay in California and the United States, but I just think what we were able to provide … we checked a lot of boxes," he added. "They wanted the challenge and opportunity of moving up to Canada and playing U SPORTS up here."
