The Thompson Okanagan Football Club continues to be a key supplier of talent to UBC Okanagan's women's soccer program.
The Heat has signed midfielders Maddy Laranjo and Maya Bandy, both products of TOFC, for the 2016-17 Canada West season,
Laranjo, from WL Seaton Secondary in Vernon, had played the last four seasons in the BC Soccer Premier League, serving as captain of her team in 2015-16.
She has also been a part of the Whitecaps Okanagan School Academy in Vernon for the past five years.
The 5-foot-5 attacking centre midfielder intends to make the most of being a UBC Okanagan student-athlete.
“I have balanced my education and many athletics all through high school, and I will continue to do so in university," said Laranjo who has also shown an interest in coaching. "I plan to continue to play soccer, volunteer, coach, and pursue a degree in Human Kinetics. I am really looking forward to being a part of the UBCO Heat team and training under coach Claire Paterson next fall."
Of the most recent addition to her 2016-17 team, head coach Claire Paterson said, “She is an incredibly hard working, competitive athlete who has been an engine for her BCSPL team. I believe Maddy will bring a lot to the program as she continues to grow as a player at the CIS level.”
Bandy, a 5-foot-6 midfielder from Coldstream, who is in her final year of high school at Kalamlaka Secondary, is excited to remain in the Okanagan to pursue her education and continue her soccer career.
“Being raised in Vernon,” said Bandy, “I have grown up watching and hearing about the UBC Okanagan women’s soccer team and I have aspired to play with them one day.
"I am very excited to play with them in the coming season, representing my home area and being coached by Claire Paterson at the CIS level.”
Paterson, entering her ninth season as the head coach of the Heat, is familiar with Maya, who has been playing for Heat assistants Ashlee Davison and Carmen Lindsay on the TOFC Club team since 2013.
"I have had the opportunity to work with Maya over several years in the Whitecaps Okanagan School Academy,” says Paterson. “She has developed into a strong player with good technical ability, vision and composure, her game continued to develop in the BCSPL.
"It is wonderful Maya has decided to stay close to home and play with the Heat next year."