MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – The future is bright for the MacEwan Griffins women's soccer team.

Seven members of head coach Dean Cordeiro's 2019 recruiting class were on hand to take in a home game earlier this month and were introduced to an appreciate home crowd.

Here they are in order they appear in the picture, left to right (Name, position, hometown, club team):

Sofia DiGiacomo

M, Calgary, Calgary Blizzard

"When the ball's at her feet, she's magical in how she sees the game and in her decision-making abilities – how much she can create for other people," said Cordeiro. "She can spray a ball over the park, but she's got the ability to score goals from 30-40 yards out with the cannon of a shot she's got."

Shanice Alfred

F, Airdrie, Calgary Blizzard

"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. She's a big-time player who we're expecting big things from right away."

Abbey Wright

CB, Cochrane, Calgary Blizzard

"She's a no-nonsense centre back. Her 1v1 ability is excellent," said Cordeiro. "She's physical, tough, very strong in the air. That's definitely an area we want to continue to develop in – being a little bit more of a handful on aerial balls and ground battles. We're excited about her presence and her development as a player. She'll compete right away."

Kaitlin Willisko

CB, Sherwood Park, Sherwood Park Phoenix

"She's a very, very intelligent player – reads the game so well and makes the game look easy at times with how fluid she is back there with 1v1 defending," said Cordeiro. "Just her buildup out of the back and finding feet really fits our need in terms of how we play with keeping possession. She also has some experience as a fullback and holding mid, so she's pretty versatile."

Taylor Blight

GK, Edmonton, Sherwood Park Phoenix

"She'll be coming in when Emily Burns is going into her fifth year, so it's definitely an area we need to have some added depth in," said Cordeiro. "We're very excited what Taylor brings to the table right away in terms of being able to compete and push the other keepers within our program. Solid keeper who's a very good shot stopper, her distribution is very good out of the back and she'll continually grow within that position."

Alyssa Lindford

M/F, Sherwood Park, Sherwood Park Phoenix

"She's just very intelligent in and around the goal, always in the right place at the right time, reads the play very well," said Cordeiro. "She has a very high soccer IQ. She's always going and gives it 150 per cent. So, with Alyssa, we're excited about her character as a player and the attributes she brings."

Avery Brisebois

FB, Sherwood Park, Northwest United

"She wears her heart on her sleeve," said Cordeiro. "She's got some of the best fitness levels of any player I've ever worked with. She can get up and down a sideline. Just a cerebral player back there. I kind of dubbed her Sarah Riddle 2.0. You know how Sarah Riddle plays and you're getting almost a carbon copy in what Avery brings to the table."