WOLFVILLE, N.S. – Acadia women's soccer head coach Amit Batra announced three additions to the Axewomen roster for fall 2023.
Batra noted that all three are quality additions to the 2022 team that finished with 37 goals in only 12 games en route to finishing tied on points for second in league standings.
"I am really pleased to announce the first three commits to our Axewomen Soccer program. All three have played in many competitions and at various levels so they bring a lot of experience even as youth players graduating into the university environment," said Batra.
"More importantly they will fit seamlessly into our locker room and integrate well into our Axewomen soccer family and I'm looking forward to being a part of their journey as students and athletes," added Batra.
Centre midfielder Idara Akpan joins the Axewomen after playing for the Suburban Football Club. From Lower Sackville, N.S., Akpan's club team placed fifth at the 2022 U17 National Club Championship in B.C. last season.
With the Sackville High School Kingfishers, Akpan was named 2022 Team MVP and was also honoured as an SSNS All-Star
"Idara brings tremendous composure on the ball and great ability to win aerial challenges in the midfield. She captained her Suburban team to fifth at the Toyota National Championships and will be just as much of a fit with our culture academically as she is athletic," noted Batra.
"A top student, Idara joins Acadia's exceptionally regarded Biology program which has produced some outstanding Axewomen graduates over the course of so many years."
When asked why she chose Acadia, Akpan pointed out that community was important.
"I chose Acadia because of its strong reputation for both academics and its athletics. As a student-athlete, I can see myself living the small-town lifestyle. Their close and supportive soccer community values sports as well as education which perfectly lines up with my goals."
The Axewomen will add a keeper to their 2023 roster. Georgia Hinrichs, from Port Moody, B.C. brings a wealth of experience from last season's club season. A student at Heritage Woods Secondary, Hinrichs' Surrey United team was crowned provincial champions last season and finished fourth at the U17 National Championship.
"Georgia brings a nice presence in goal and positions herself well to make some saves seem easy. Her experience at the U17 Nationals where she helped Surrey United to 4th place in the country will be handy as she makes the adjustment to U Sports and competes for a spot. Georgia is another strong student who is taking Community Development at Acadia with the Environmental & Sustainability Studies option.
Considered "a modern-day, confident defender" by her club coach Josh Read, Ottawa's Sophie Loy will join the Axewomen this coming fall.
A student at St. Mark High School in Ottawa, Ont., Loy will be a welcomed addition to the team who has prided itself as staunch defenders.
"We're looking forward to welcoming Sophie to the Axewomen program. By all accounts, Sophie brings leadership on the field and will prove to be a gritty ball-winning defender who is tough to play against," noted Batra.
Loy is entering Acadia's well-regarded nutrition program which is only offered at select schools.
"Acadia felt like home. What really convinced me to commit to Acadia was the team, they were so welcoming and automatically made me feel a part of the team within a day of being there. I know I will have a lot of support at Acadia and that was one of the big things that I knew I needed in a University," said Loy.
The Axemen and Axewomen soccer teams will be announcing more commitments in the coming weeks.
Acadia soccer will open the AUS regular season at home versus the Saint Mary's Huskies on Friday, September 1st beginning at 5:00 pm (women) and 7:15 pm (men) and then they will travel to UPEI to play the Panthers on Sunday, September 3rd.