Scarborough soccer players make break for Ohio on scholarship
Krystiana Clarke and Courtney Clarke, no relation, both play for the Mississauga Dixie Saints U-18 girls soccer team. The team plays in the Ontario Youth Soccer League, the top league in Ontario.
This year marks Krystiana's fourth year with the team. Courtney is new, having moved over from a Unionville squad.
"Krystiana is a very smart player and she has good speed and she can put the ball in the net," said coach Rick David. "She's a great goal scorer."
Krystiana is a striker on the team.
David said Courtney has practised with the team for the past few months and is a gifted athlete. She will be officially joining the team this year.
"She has tremendous speed," he said. "She is a very smart girl."
Both girls will head to Miami University in August to start their education.
Krystiana attends Agincourt Collegiate.
David said both players are skilled.
"Soccer is their passion," he said. "It's what's getting them their education paid for. These girls deserve it. It's hard to get one."
The players had to contact the universities they are interested in, David said, adding it's a lot of work.
"Anybody that is a good soccer player is very teachable and they want to listen and they want to excel at what they do," he said. "They're very dedicated to their school and their soccer."
The added bonus is they both have supportive families.�"There's so much support you need from parents," he said. "It happens easily for these guys. They wouldn't have been able to do it without their (parents') support."
Even though the girls live in Scarborough, they chose Mississauga to play because it's a successful, highly competitive team.
"We're one of the best teams in Canada," David said. "Our team is made up from girls from all over the place."
Tony Ronca and Dale Soobratee also coach the team.
Players practise twice a week and are expected to train on their own.
"Soccer is a wonderful sport," David said. "Boys might be quicker and stronger but to watch a great women's team, it's very entertaining."
Krystiana has been playing soccer since she was six years old when she heard about the Malvern Soccer League through a school announcement in Grade 1.
"I didn't know what soccer was, but I brought the form home (from school) to my mom and told her I wanted to play," she said. "I went out and wasn't very good the first year but I started to pick up the skill then it just stuck with me."
The assistant coach for Miami University came out to a one of Krystiana's games.
"She saw me score one of my goals," she said. "That game I think I scored five goals, but one of them she absolutely loved and she loved my determination. So she spoke to my coach."
To get the goal, Krystiana said the defender on the other team passed the ball to the goalie and just as the goalie was about kick it up, she intercepted it.
"I scored and I kind of fumbled with the goalie," she said. "When I got the ball the goalie kind of fumbled forward."
That allowed Krystiana to score.
Krystiana signed with the university on Feb. 6.
"I'm very excited," she said. "I'm leaving Aug. 4."
Courtney could not be reached by The Mirror's deadline Tuesday.
