Jefferson Hagen / MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – For all of the nuances required to be successful on the pitch, there is nothing that replaces flat-out scoring ability.
That makes the latest recruit in the MacEwan women's soccer program a potential gold mine. Head coach Dean Cordeiro announced Tuesday that Calgary's Shanice Alfred – a top-level striker – will join the Griffins starting in the 2019 Canada West season.
"Shanice is a top-end talent, a pure out-and-out striker who possesses great intangibles, can finish with both feet, can beat players on the dribble and is explosive in terms of her athleticism," said Cordeiro. "She's just a real potential game-changer."
Her resume says so, too. Alfred, who comes out of the Calgary Blizzard program coached by former Griffins assistant/goalkeeper coach Diogo Raposo, attended two Canadian U17 national team training camps in February and March 2017 in Burnaby, B.C.
The fact that the Team Alberta player and member of the REX (regional excellence centre) program has been on the national team radar before, shows how great her potential to be a difference-maker for the Griffins in a year is. She was also invited to be a Super REX member based in B.C.
"The honour of being selected and being brought into a camp of that nature really puts her in that category of the best of the best," said Cordeiro. "For Shanice, that was a great opportunity and moment for her to be in that national team talent pool."
Shanice Alfred wore Team Canada silks during U17 national women's training camp in 2017.
As is expected for a player of that calibre, the NCAA did initially come calling.
"She had a bunch of NCAA offers and had what looked to be a done deal to go to a big school in the U.S.," noted Cordeiro. "Then a couple of things fell through and weren't to her liking. She came to a realization over Easter at the Whitecaps Showcase earlier this year that she was more likely to be staying in Canada. I got the news when we were there, and it was a full-court press in wanting to bring her in and showing her what we could offer and what we're building here.
"She checked all of those boxes in terms of what we're trying to do," he added. "She visited with a lot of schools, but she shares that same vision what we're building here and wants to be a part of something special. It all worked out, which is very exciting."
Alfred has the potential to provide the Griffins with much-needed offence. They finished in the middle of the pack in Canada West last season in scoring (7th, 1.29 goals a game) and are building towards the offensive level of elite-scoring teams such as UBC and Trinity Western (2.64 and 2.57 goals a game, respectively).
"Shanice is one of the premier marksmen in putting the ball in the back of the net for her age group," said Cordeiro. "She's a kid that we're super excited about. We wish she could come in this year because we feel she could contribute right now. But she's still a year out. That speaks to the ability of the player, the type of person she is and her maturity. We're excited to be able to bring a kid like her to the program."
Alfred, right, has been a standout striker for the Calgary Blizzard under former Griffins assistant/goalkeeper coach Diogo Raposo.
