The season has officially wrapped up, but soccer players Seongyeon Wi, Hannah Murdy and Brittany Johnson have been chosen to represent R.D. Parker Collegiate as the top athletes for the month of September.
According to coaches Eric Gallo-Paskey and Jeff Paradis, this trio of Grade 12 students was selected because of their leadership prowess, skill on the field and years of dedication to RDPC soccer as a whole.
Even though this was his first year as coach, Gallo-Paskey could tell that Wi commanded the respect of the rest of the boys’ team right off the bat.
“From the very beginning, all of the other players on the team pretty much started calling him ‘captain’ and gravitating towards him,” said Gallo-Paskey. “In terms of skill you really noticed when he wasn’t on the field. He was kind of the core of the team and lots of the ball movement went through him.”
While the boys’ season ended on a sour note, with a less than stellar showing in zones, Wi still enjoyed the company of his teammates and how they bonded on the field.
“I think the team itself was really hype because there was a lot of Grade 12 boys that I knew and we enjoyed the tournament,” said Wi, who also obtained the title of RDPC’s top athlete back in September 2015.
In terms of the girls’ team, coach Paradis said that both Johnson and Murdy bring something unique to the table.
“Brittany is our best goal scorer. She always has been,” said Paradis. “Hannah has that vision of an athlete on the inside midfield that you can’t really find a lot in Thompson, because we don’t have any soccer programs per se. So it takes a special kid to play that position.”
This year the girls’ team fared a little better than their male counterparts, beating Flin Flon in zones to represent Thompson at the Manitoba high school soccer provincials in Niverville.
Even though the Trojans finished sixth place in this tournament, Murdy and Johnson still hold this season in high regard since it marked their first time going to provincials.
“It feels great,” said Johnson. “The Flon girls have had a nine-year streak with the banner or so, so we were the year that broke that.”
Since all three students are in their final year of high school athletics, the trio is already looking ahead to their university careers.
While Wi and Johnson have their sights set on playing varsity soccer for the University of Alberta and Brandon University, respectively, Murdy hasn’t figured out her post-secondary plans just yet.
But Murdy is certain about one thing when it comes to playing soccer: you shouldn’t be afraid to indulge in something you love.
“I know in Grade 9 I was scared to try out, so I didn’t. And then in Grade 10 I was really bad and didn’t think I’d make the team,” said Murdy, who eventually went on to be crowned RDPC junior girls’ athlete of the year in 2016.
“Soccer’s fun. Don’t be scared.”
