Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – As they begin their title defence, the U SPORTS national champion MacEwan Griffins women's soccer team is reloading with a promising recruiting class of top talents from across Western Canada.
Among them is Amelia Russo, a talented St. Albert product who comes out of the Sherwood Park Phoenix program, Griffins head coach Dean Cordeiro announced Friday.
The 5-foot-8 centre-midfielder/centre-back will bring size to the Griffins with a strong ability to dominate play from her area of the pitch.
"Amelia's a well-rounded player," said Cordeiro. "She plays with great intensity and she's got a great engine. She's dominant in the air, can play virtually any position on the pitch and is just an exceptional athlete. She brings us size and strength and she can score goals and create."
Cordeiro notes while she has played centre-back for much of her youth career, her best fit with the Griffins will likely be in midfield.
"I see her as a box-to-box midfielder who can play in that hybrid, attacking/defensive role really well," said the coach, pointing out her strong two-way ability on the pitch.
A member of the boys soccer academy at Jasper Place high school, Russo has also run track and has numerous awards for long distance and cross-country running, including four medals from the Alberta Summer Games. She was also a competitive swimmer with the Olympian Swim Club until 2018 and played volleyball with the St. Albert Sturgeon Volleyball Club.
The Alberta REX soccer product also has a connection to current Griffins who come out of the quality Phoenix program – goalkeeper Toni Gill, and defenders Jayda Mitchell, Abbey Froese and Alysha Willisko – often playing up with the older age group in the club.
"Some of the key components of Amelia's game are her ability to intercept balls, break up plays, and stick tackles," said Cordeiro. "But on the other end of the pitch, she's also an offensive threat as a playmaker and a goal scorer. She's a very important piece of the puzzle and we're excited to welcome her to the Griff family."
