Soccer recruit Lydia Hamill chooses to stay home, commits to UPEI
Often responsible for linking plays between the defence and offence, the midfield position in soccer is critical to a team鈥檚 success.
The 69传媒Women鈥檚 Soccer Panthers have fielded some talented central midfielders in recent years, including Jennifer Balderston (2015鈥�20) and AUS all-star Lauren Clark (2017鈥損resent). Head coach Lewis Page hopes he has found another in Lydia Hamill.
Hamill, an 18 -year-old native of Searletown, PEI, is set to join the Panthers after capturing her second straight PEI School Athletic Association Senior A Women鈥檚 Soccer title as a member of KISHORA鈥攁 combined team made up of athletes from Kensington Intermediate Senior High School (KISH) and Kinkora Regional High School (KRHS).
Hamill has also participated in the provincial high-performance program鈥擯EI FC鈥攆or the last four years, playing in national championships in Montreal and Edmonton before captaining the under-17 squad this past year.
鈥淭he level of play and training through PEI FC has been great for my development and has really prepared me for the university transition,鈥� said Hamill.
That combined experience led her to the Canada Games training team, where she continues to develop her skills alongside the Island鈥檚 best soccer talents.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been an amazing experience being on the training team with all the top players from PEI.鈥�
Page has watched Hamill grow through the PEI FC program and is eager to see how her progression translates to the AUS ranks.
鈥淲e are always looking for quality players, and Lydia will add to our depth as well as compete for a starting role,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 an excellent midfielder with a high soccer IQ.鈥�
Hamill describes herself as a team-first player and a leader who communicates well on and off the pitch. Whether it鈥檚 making the right pass at the right time or having the confidence to hold on to the ball, her quick decision-making skills make her an asset.
鈥淎s a rookie, I hope my training and off-field preparation will allow me to be a key contributor to the team's success in the 2022 season and UPEI鈥檚 women's soccer program moving forward,鈥� Hamill added.
After considering a number of options, Hamill said 69传媒was always at the top of her list of universities to attend.
鈥淥ne of the main reasons I chose 69传媒was for the chance to play in front of a hometown crowd for the university I grew up watching.鈥�
