Niko Marcina has revealed his first recruiting class as head coach of the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades women’s soccer program, and it’s a six-pack of talent from the BC Soccer Premier League.
Surrey United SC players Serena Deol, Jaspreet Deol, Tanveer Pannu and Madison Sweeney, as well as Avery Tulloch and Neve Hayes from Coquitlam Metro Ford SC will suit for the team in the fall.
“I’m excited about this group,” Marcina stated. “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.”
Tulloch, a Coquitlam native, has had a highly decorated youth soccer career, leading Coquitlam Metro Ford to BCSPL league championships in 2018 and 2019, along with a victory at the Seattle Pacific Northwest Showcase tournament. Likewise, she excelled in school soccer, helping her Centennial Centaurs win back-to-back provincial AAA crowns in 2018 and 2019. She was also named Centennial’s rookie of the year and top goal-scorer in 2018, and was MVP of the provincial final in 2019.
Serena Deol, who hails from Surrey, has emerged as a standout defender at Surrey United, helping her squad win the Astro Turf StarFire Sports Showcase (2017) and Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup (2019) tournaments. At the younger age groups, she played at Surrey FC Pegasus, contributing to a team which swept the Provincial A Cup, Coastal Cup, and League Cup titles at the U13 level in 2016. On the school soccer scene, Deol’s Panorama Ridge squad won the provincial AAA championship in 2017.
Jaspreet Deol, also from Surrey, is no relation to Serena, but the two are close friends who have played together throughout their club and high school soccer careers, sharing an incredible list of accomplishments at Surrey Pegasus, Surrey United, and Panorama Ridge Secondary. In addition to the tournament titles listed above, Jaspreet was named Panorama Ridge’s senior girls soccer MVP in 2019, and added a game MVP award at high school provincials the same year.
Surrey’s Pannu brings versatility and speed to the Cascades. She was teammates with Serena and Jaspreet Deol at both Surrey United and Panorama Ridge, highlighted by victories at the B.C. AAA high school championships (2017) and the Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup (2019).
Hayes, a Maple Ridge native, and future Cascades teammate Tulloch were part of the dynamic Coquitlam Metro Ford side which won back-to-back BCSPL titles in 2018 and 2019, along with the Seattle Pacific Northwest Showcase tourney in 2020. She also played for her school soccer squad from grades 8-10, and was her team’s leading goal-scorer during that three-year stretch.
Sweeney has 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 Secondary.
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.
For more on the team, visit gocascades.ca.
