Langley’s Madison Sweeney a 5’8″ forward who began her career playing for Walnut Grove Secondary, has signed with the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) Cascades women’s soccer team in Abbotsford.
Sweeney spent the past three seasons with Surrey United, highlighted by the Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup crown in 2019.
Prior to that, she spent three years at Fraser Valley FC, winning the Seattle Starfire U14 tournament in 2017, and played two seasons of school soccer at Walnut Grove .
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Sweeney’s multi-sport profile also saw her excel in volleyball.
She captained the BC Selects club for three years, and won a Volleyball Canada U18 Div. 2 national title in 2019 with the Sonic Selects.
More recently, she’s trained with UFV’s youth volleyball club, the Junior Cascades.
Cascades head coach Niko Marcina said Sweeney was a striker “who has a very high soccer IQ, and has the ability to pick up concepts quickly which excites me.
“Our style of play is a little more complex, and she’ll be able to fit right in her first year. Personality-wise, she’s a natural fit for our team environment. She’s extremely positive.”
Sweeney said having the opportunity to play varsity soccer while pursuing a post-secondary education towards a Bachelor/Master’s degree in social work at UFV “checks off all the boxes on my university wish list.”
“The smaller class sizes keep me more engaged and involved in the curriculum. In addition, being part of the soccer team will drive me to maintain having an active role in my university community. My dreams and goals for my time with the Cascades are to continue to reach my potential in mind, body and spirit as a UFV undergraduate student and athlete.”
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Marcina unveiled his first recruiting class as head coach of the Cascades women’s soccer program, signing six players from the BC Soccer Premier League.
ðŸ”âš½ï¸ | Cascades WSOC is pleased to introduce its 2021 recruiting class, featuring six local standouts!
✅ Serena Deol, Jaspreet Deol, Tanveer Pannu & Madison Sweeney from @SurreyUnitedSC
✅ Avery Tulloch & Neve Hayes from @CMFSC
🔗 https://t.co/jhwbXyjgUz#WeClimbWeConquer pic.twitter.com/cSI1UJeYWQ
— UFV Cascades (@UFVCascades) May 6, 2021
In addition to Sweeney, Serena Deol, Jaspreet Deol, and Tanveer Pannu are teammates with Surrey United SC, while Avery Tulloch and Neve Hayes play together with Coquitlam Metro Ford SC.
“I’m excited about this group,” Marcina enthused. “The bulk of these players I know quite well as I used to coach them at Surrey United. The other two individuals from Coquitlam Metro Ford are highly regarded and I’m familiar with them from watching league games. I believe this group will offer a lot and make a difference for the future of the Cascades.”
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