Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – The succession plan for the MacEwan Griffins' goalkeeper position is in place.
After 2019 U SPORTS second team all-star Emily Burns – the program record-holder for most games started – graduated, the Griffins will turn to third-year Bianca Castillo and second-year Breanna Truscott in a battle for starter's minutes.
In the future, they'll have another bright light at the position, too.
Head coach Dean Cordeiro announced on Friday that goalkeeper Toni Gill has committed to the Griffins for the 2021 Canada West season.
"We graduated Emily Burns this past year, but to add Toni to the mix with Bianca Castillo and Breanna Truscott, we really like what the future holds for us at the goalkeeper position," said Cordeiro. "The way we have it structured with the different age groups – Bianca being a '98, Bre being a 2000 and now bringing in an '03 to that mix really helps solidify the position for us for the years to come."
Gill has the potential to become an impact Canada West starter some day for the Griffins. Cordeiro calls the Red Deer native the best keeper in Alberta in her age group.
"We've been high on Toni for a while now," he said. "She lives in Red Deer but has been commuting into Edmonton to play for years. She was selected as a part of the Alberta REX program. That's the best of the best at each position in the province.
"We've had an opportunity to play against her and watch her in our own backyard. In her age group, we rate her as the top keeper in the province."
Gill played for the Sherwood Park Phoenix this past year, backstopping a club that was a powerhouse in the 2003 age group.
"She's got a great presence to her in the area," said Cordeiro. "She commands the area very well. She's vocal. She's a very good shot stopper, her distribution is very good.
"For a kid her age, the goalkeeper position is quite difficult to come out of high school and contribute right away, but we just like her makeup and mentality. She's worked really hard over the years with individual goalkeeper coaches and really set herself apart from other keepers in her age group."
