Fraser Valley FC captain Daimon Gill will join Dante Zanatta’s 2015 recruitment class for the UBC Okanagan men’s soccer team’s second foray into Canada West next season.
The 5-foot-10, 155-pound Gill will shore up the defensive end for his defensive-minded new coach in Zanatta.
Currently playing rightback for his BC Soccer Premier League team as well as previously for his Abbotsford Traditional Secondary School team, he expects to step into a similar role for the Heat next year.
“A lot of players don’t enjoy defending because you don’t necessarily receive the praise that some of the attacking players do,” he said, beginning to eschew his pride in his position, adding that “I very much enjoy it. It also provides me the opportunities to venture up the field and attack as well.”
When on the attack, Gill claims confidence in his playmaking ability, citing an aptitude in delivering quality passes into the 18 yard box to set up the goal.
Zanatta agrees with the signee’s assessment of his skills saying that “Daimon loves to defend, win the one on one battles, and has a good ability to play the correct exit pass which is crucial as a defender,” these on field skills will bode well at the CIS level for the Abbotsford recruit.
Most importantly, Gill brings a strong work ethic that is always the most coachable asset of any young player. “Whether it is in training or in a game, I will always give my 10 per cent to anything that I do.”
Gill plans to enter a Bachelor of Science program, and is still balancing a decision between majoring in Biology or Psychology, with ambitions to eventually go into medicine to become an orthopedic surgeon, or sports psychology. “Both of these career paths are extremely fascinating to me as they would both allow me to work with athletes,” he explained.
In his spare time, Gill likes to give back to his community by volunteering to coach 5-6 year olds in the spring and summer.
The Abbotsford native is excited for the jump to university level school and soccer away from home, but realizes that the new experience will come alongside challenges.
“I will be going from playing with 17 and 18 year old boys, to playing with 23 and 24 year old men,” Gill said plainly. “I have worked towards (university soccer)my entire youth career and with countless hours on the field, in the gym, and on the track I have been able to achieve my goal.”
