WINDSOR, Ont. - Fanshawe College's Jade Kovacevic (Georgetown) is the 2016 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Women's Soccer Player of the Year. She received the award in a ceremony held in Windsor, Ont., on Wednesday evening.
This marks Kovacevic's second consecutive OCAA player of the year award. The third-year forward averaged 2.30 goals per game, scoring 23 times to win the OCAA West Division scoring championship. Fanshawe went undefeated in 10 matches (9-0-1) to win the divisional championship. Kovacevic has scored 49 goals in the last two regular seasons, and is now third all-time in OCAA scoring.
Along with her player of the year award, Kovacevic is also an OCAA All-Star and a Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian.
Cambrian College's Tiffany Johnson (Val Caron) is also a CCAA All-Canadian for the second time in her career. She is now the all-time leading scorer in OCAA, scoring 62 goals to surpass Joanna Vitale's previous record of 56, set with Humber at the turn of the century. Johnson's 28 goals in 2016 also sets a new OCAA single season record, surpassing Kovacevic's 26 last season. Johnson is now a two-time All-Canadian, and is also an OCAA All-Star.
The CCAA coach of the year nominee from OCAA is Steve Vagnini of St. Clair for the second straight season. Coming off its OCAA bronze medal in 2015, St. Clair finished second in the West Division standings with a record of 7-1-2. St. Clair played division champion Fanshawe tough in both meetings, losing 5-4 and drawing 1-1. Vagnini is also the West Division Coach of the Year.
With the big offensive numbers produced by Kovacevic and Johnson this season, it is Algonquin's Vanessa MacMillan (Ottawa) who is the OCAA League Scoring Champion. MacMillan scored 26 goals in 11 matches, giving her a league best goals per game average of 2.36. The fifth-year forward was also given a certificate as the East Division Scoring Champion and is an OCAA All-Star.
Cambrian's Sarah Cholewinsky (Sudbury) is the OCAA Overall Rookie of the Year. She scored an impressive 16 goals in a dozen games as a forward. Cholewinsky was given a certificate as East Division Rookie of the Year, and is an OCAA All-Star.
It wasn't all about offence at the awards ceremony. Algonquin fifth-year defender Jenna Baldree (Kingston), Seneca second-year defender Jamie Smith (Newmarket) and Mohawk second-year defender Alyssa O'Brien (Fort Erie) were named OCAA Defensive Players of the Year in their respective divisions. Baldree and Smith were also named OCAA All-Stars.
Along with Kovacevic and MacMillan, another OCAA Scoring Champion was honoured. Sheridan's Viktoria VanZanten (Fenwick) led the Central Division with 11 goals in nine matches. She is also an OCAA All-Star.
In addition to Cholewinsky, two other OCAA Rookies of the Year were recognized. Humber's Hayley Mackie (Waterloo) is the top first-year player in the Central Division. The midfielder scored a pair of goals in 10 matches. Mackie is also an OCAA All-Star. Fanshawe defender Amber Lea Hodgins (London) is the top rookie in the West Division.
Chris Eveleigh of St. Lawrence-Kingston is the OCAA East Division Coach of the Year. Eveleigh led the Vikings to a 7-4-1 record, good for third place in the division. Humber's duo of Vince Pileggi and Mauro Ongaro are the OCAA Central Coaches of the Year. Humber finished in second place in the division with a 7-1-2 record.
The three division champions were also the top defensive teams for 2016. East Division champion Algonquin allowed just two goals against in a dozen games; Central Division champion Seneca gave up four goals in 10 games; and West Division champion Fanshawe allowed six goals in 10 matches.
Several OCAA All-Stars were also recognized. In addition to Johnson, MacMillan, Cholewinsky and Baldree, OCAA East Division All-Stars include Algonquin's Sylvie Avedessian (Ottawa), Breanna Humphreys (Ottawa) and Jenna King (Ajax); Cambrian's Tamara Johnson (Val Caron) and Alexandra Ross (Garson); and St. Lawrence-Kingston's Kayla Hellam (Bowmanville) and Mallory McQueen (Kingston).
In addition to Smith, VanZanten and Mackie, OCAA Central Division All-Stars include Humber's Vanessa Fiore (Brampton), Stephanie Gutierrez (Toronto) and Rebecca Spratt (Mississauga); Seneca's Christiana Carmosino (Aurora), Sarah Donato (Newmarket), Rachel Dorland (Richmond Hill) and Andrea Runco (Newmarket); and Sheridan's Samantha Mam (Ottawa).
Joining Kovacevic as West Division All-Stars are Fanshawe teammates Marisa Oliveira (London), Selena Roberts (London) and Daniella Strano (London); Lambton's Teaghan Gagne (Sarnia); Mohawk's Laura Blackburn (Richmond Hill) and Michele DiDionisio (Hamilton); and St. Clair's Kaitlyn Austin (Parkhill), Emily Ditty (Lakeshore), Samantha Geier (Windsor) and Marisa Stratis (Windsor).
2016 OCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER AWARDS
OCAA Women's Soccer Player of the Year
Jade Kovacevic, Fanshawe
CCAA Women's Soccer All-Canadians
Jade Kovacevic, Fanshawe
Tiffany Johnson, Cambrian
CCAA Coach of the Year Nominee
Steve Vagnini, St. Clair
OCAA Women's Soccer League Scoring Champion
Vanessa MacMillan, Algonquin
OCAA Women's Soccer Overall Rookie of the Year
Sarah Cholewinsky, Cambrian
Regular Season Champions
East - Algonquin Thunder
Central - Seneca Sting
West - Fanshawe Falcons
OCAA Women's Soccer East Division Coach of the Year
Chris Eveleigh, St. Lawrence-Kingston
OCAA Women's Soccer Central Division Coach of the Year
Vince Pileggi & Mauro Ongaro, Humber
OCAA Women's Soccer West Division Coach of the Year
Steve Vagnini, St. Clair
OCAA Women's Soccer East Division Rookie of the Year
Sarah Cholewinsky, Cambrian
OCAA Women's Soccer Central Division Rookie of the Year
Hayley Mackie, Humber
OCAA Women's Soccer West Division Rookie of the Year
Amber Lea Hodgins, Fanshawe
OCAA Women's Soccer East Division Defensive Player of the Year
Jenna Baldree, Algonquin
OCAA Women's Soccer Central Division Defensive Player of the Year
Jamie Smith, Seneca
OCAA Women's Soccer West Division Defensive Player of the Year
Alyssa O'Brien, Mohawk
OCAA Women's Soccer East Division Scoring Champion
Vanessa MacMillan, Algonquin College
OCAA Women's Soccer Central Division Scoring Champion
Viktoria VanZanten, Sheridan
OCAA Women's Soccer West Division Scoring Champion
Jade Kovacevic, Fanshawe
OCAA Women's Soccer East Division Best Defensive Team
Algonquin Thunder
OCAA Women's Soccer Central Division Best Defensive Team
Seneca Sting
OCAA Women's Soccer West Division Best Defensive Team
Fanshawe Falcons
OCAA Women's Soccer All-Stars
Sylvie Avedissian, Algonquin
Jenna Baldree, Algonquin
Breanna Humphreys, Algonquin
Jenna King, Algonquin
Vanessa MacMillan, Algonquin
Sarah Cholewinsky, Cambrian
Tamara Johnson, Cambrian
Tiffany Johnson, Cambrian
Alexandra Ross, Cambrian
Kayla Hellam, St. Lawrence-Kingston
Mallory McQueen, St. Lawrence-Kingston
Vanessa Fiore, Humber
Stephanie Gutierrez, Humber
Hayley Mackie, Humber
Rebecca Spratt, Humber
Samantha Mam, Sheridan
Viktoria VanZanten, Sheridan
Christiana Carmosino, Seneca
Sarah Donato, Seneca
Rachel Dorland, Seneca
Andrea Runco, Seneca
Jamie Smith, Seneca
Jade Kovacevic, Fanshawe
Marisa Oliveira, Fanshawe
Selena Roberts, Fanshawe
Daniella Strano, Fanshawe
Teaghan Gagne, Lambton
Laura Blackburn, Mohawk
Michele DiDionisio, Mohawk
Kaitlyn Austin, St. Clair
Emily Ditty, St. Clair
Samantha Geier, St. Clair
Marisa Stratis, St. Clair
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