OSHAWA, Ont. – The Durham College women's soccer team welcomed four new players to the pitch: Shannon Brown, Jessica Ferreira, Makayla Rudder and Carina Konstantinou. The quartet joins sisters Vanessa and Victoria Bangloy who were announced in the previous week.

The additions now lift the Lords 2019-20 recruiting class total to six as head coach Alex Bianchi continues to look to improve on the teams provincial bronze from a year ago.

"They fit into the type of team we want," said Bianchi of his new signings. "We want to play an up-tempo game, and they're all very athletic. We also got a little bigger, but we haven't lost any speed, which gives us a dynamic we need when playing those bigger schools."

Shannon Brown

A graduate from Father Leo J Austin Catholic School, Brown is a 5'8 midfielder who hails from Whitby. She is a multi-sport athlete through high school, playing badminton, volleyball and running track, with great success in badminton, both individually and in doubles play. Brown has spent the last few years playing with Whitby FC, where she won the league championship in 2016 and 2017, and finished third overall in 2018. Brown will study health sciences at Durham in the fall.

"I play attacking mid and holding mid," said Brown when asked about her position and style of play. "If I play attacking, I want to bring goals towards the team, and if I'm holding, I want to prevent that."
 
Jessica Ferreira

Set to spend the summer with the Whitby U21 program, Ferreira had previously spent five years with FC Durham Academy, where she helped the team win the spring and fall championship in the same year. The Ajax native is a defensive minded 5'6 centre back/fullback, bringing great experience to the Lords program. Graduating from Pickering High School, Ferreira will be entering the child and youth care program at DC.

Ferreira described what she is most looking forward to for the up-coming season. "Hopefully coming first this season, I know we finished third last season, and hopefully winning the Campus Cup against Ontario Tech."

Makayla Rudder

Rudder is another multi-sport athlete and was the only girl to play soccer and basketball on both high school girls' and boys' teams. The 5'8 striker has been a top goal scorer at all levels she has played. Coming from Woburn Collegiate Institute, Rudder has spent the last few years playing in the OPDL with Unionville and the OWSL with FC Durham. The native of Scarborough is set to also study child and youth care in the fall.

"Working very hard, creating goal opportunities and just overall being more dominant on the field," Makayla described the play we can expect to see from her.

Carina Konstantinou

Konstantinou will be bringing a strong leg to the Lords program. The St. Jean de Brebeuf Catholic School graduate is joining the Lords after being a place kicker for her school's senior boys football team. She has averaged 45 yards per kick in football and can reach over 50 yards in soccer. Spending the last six years with the Hamilton Sparta soccer program, the 5'9 fullback will be a welcomed addition to the Lords for the 2019 season. Konstantinou will be at Durham College studying the firefighting – pre-service, education and training program.

"I'm looking forward to making friends, having a great year and supporting the team," said Carina about coming to Durham College. When asked about the play she will bring, she laughed, "hopefully you can expect some solid defending."

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