The Nipissing Lakers women’s soccer team put together the best season in their program’s history, which included the team’s longest playoff run as well.
Along with an 8-1-1 record, only surrendering three goals and winning their first eight games of the season, it’s safe to say the Lakers impressed not only their fans, but also the opposition as well.
And with the OUA All-Stars being release today, the list of award winners and all-stars reflects the great campaign the Lakers put together.
Nipissing had six Central Division All-Stars, the Central Division Player of the Year and the Central Division Coach of the Year.
Abby Wroe, who is an all-star and player of the year, Rylee Traicoff, Jessica Emmerton, Jen Milligan, Ashley Mlinaric and goalkeeper Mykaela Volpe all earned a spot on the all-star team.
Head coach David Bitonti, who credits his assistant coaches with the team’s success, was named the division’s top bench boss, as well, bringing the total of Lakers honoured to seven.
Team put together an 8-1-1 record in the 2021 shortened season, scoring 28 goals and surrendering just three.
In their 10 contests, Nipissing recorded nine shutouts and posted a 3-1-0 record at home, while going 5-0-1 on the road.
Their biggest win was a 7-0 triumph over Algoma in Sault Ste. Marie, which was part of the team’s eight-game winning streak to begin the season, suffering their only two blemishes – a loss and a tie – in the final weekend of the season.
Mykaela Volpe – Central Division All-Star
Volpe, a goalkeeper from Whitby, was a rock in goal for the Lakers all season, recording eight wins, a tie and nine shutouts and even in the team’s playoff defeat, she didn’t allow a goal until penalty kicks.
The team was very strong defensively, so she was never called on to be spectacular, but her veteran presence and calm play on the backline provided stability and confidence for her team.
Abby Wroe – Central Division Play of the Year, Central Division All-Star
The team’s captain and defender from Collingwood, Wroe was absolutely outstanding on the team’s defensive line, rarely allowing the ball behind her and clearing any dangerous chances with ease.
Wroe started all 10 games and even collected two assists, despite her role and the strength of her game coming from stopping goals, not creating them.
Her ability to clear the ball was not lost on the league, who awarded her the division’s Player of the Year – an accolade very deserving for anyone who has seen her play.
Rylee Traicoff – Central Division All-Star
The second-year defender from Whitby was a force for the Lakers in their own end of the pitch, but also in the transition game, as she was able to get the ball up to the midfielders and attackers, allowing them to show their creativity.
Her one-on-one play was exceptional, rarely being beat and often creating a turnover and letting her team go from defence to offence very quickly.
She also added an assist in her 10 games.
Jessica Emmerton – Central Division All-Star
Emmerton, a midfielder from Oshawa, had a strong season offensively, leading the team in goals and ranking tied for second in total points.
In 10 games – where she started eight – she had seven goals and two assists.
She only went four games without a goal and scored twice in the season opener against Laurentian, finishing with three multi-point efforts.
Emmerton also led the team in game-winning goals with five, which also put her tied for second in the country in that category, just one off the national lead.
Jen Milligan – Central Division All-Star
One of the team’s main offensive weapons, Milligan, from Strathroy, had a great season, scoring nine points in 10 games for the Lakers.
She finished the year with four goals and five assists, along with one game-winner. She was one of the team’s main scoring threats and was a threat every time she touched the ball.
She scored the lone goal in Nipissing’s quarter-final win over the York Lions last Wednesday.
Ashley Mlinaric – Central Division All-Star
The Lakers’ leading scorer, Mlinaric had a great season, posting 12 points – six goals and six assists – in 10 games.
The Mississauga product ranked second on the team in goals and was first in assists, along with points.
She also added a pair of game-winning goals and finished with 17 shots on goal.
Mlinaric had a six-game point streak to start the season, including two games where she had three or more points, which included six goals in the first four games.
David Bitonti – Central Division Coach of the Year
The veteran head coach and his coaching staff – assistants Nick Battigaglia and Mike Russell – pushed all the right buttons this year with all lineup changes, subs and gameplans.
The team began the year 8-0-0 and finished 8-1-1, claiming the Central Division title and earning the second spot in the OUA Playoffs.
From there, they knocked off the York Lions in the quarter-finals before falling to the Western Mustangs in a thrilling semi-final game.
This is the second time Bitonti and his staff have been awarded this honour, with the first coming in 2018.
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