WELLAND, Ont. - The Niagara College women's soccer program will have a new face at the helm for the 2017 season as Welland, Ont., native Rob Lalama will transition into the head coaching role beginning Monday, Jan. 16. Lalama will take over for long-time friend and fellow Niagara region soccer community fixture Frank DeChellis, who will continue serving as the head coach of the Knights men's soccer program.

DeChellis has served as the head coach of both the Knights men's and women's soccer programs since the 2013 season. In that time, he has been tasked with rebuilding a soccer program that had little to celebrate in the pre-DeChellis era. Since 2013 however, both programs have firmly established themselves as perennial OCAA playoff contenders.

"We were assigned the task of moving both teams up to the level of being perennial post-season programs and we've done that," said DeChellis. "But to move to the next level of success each team is going to need focused attention when it comes to recruiting, retention and improving the overall experience of a post-secondary high-performance program. It took a lot of work getting to this point and I am proud of the fact that our teams walk with a bit of swagger. We can't rest on our laurels."

In Lalama, the Knights women's soccer program will be led by a highly respected, progressive and educated coach that possesses over 30 years of experience on the sidelines. Lalama was hired as an associate head coach of the Knights men's soccer program prior to the 2016 season in order to begin the early stages of leadership transition. He currently serves as the technical director for the Welland Soccer Club, and was named the 2009 Gil Beaulieu Memorial Trophy winner, presented to the Welland sports coach of the year.

"Frank approached me a couple months ago and it's an opportunity I'm really excited about," said Lalama. "When presented with the opportunity to carry on in a leadership role and continue building on what Frank has achieved, it was something I couldn't turn down. Frank has establish a fantastic program, and I am honoured to be given the chance to continue building the Knights into an OCAA power."

Lalama inherits a Niagara Knights women's soccer program that has qualified for the OCAA playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Prior to the rebuild undertaken by DeChellis and the rest of his coaching staff, the team had won just one game since 2010. The 2016 season saw the Knights enjoy one of the strongest in program history. The program established several new team and individual offensive records before being knocked out of the OCAA playoffs by the eventual bronze medal winning Cambrian Golden Shield.

"We understand that we are now at the tipping point for both of our soccer programs, as they are well positioned to take the next step towards championship status," said Matthew Davies, Niagara College's director of athletics and recreation. "We are confident in Frank and Rob's leadership abilities, and are excited for the student-athlete experience that they are going to create next season."

With a year of experience as a member of the Knights family already under his belt Lalama added, "I'm looking forward to getting our student-athletes back into the gym this winter, and starting to prepare for the 2017 season."

Source: Niagara College