Jon Elezi from the men’s soccer team and Olivia Larssen from the women’s rugby team are this week’s featured athletes.
Jon Elezi:
Jon Elezi is a first year recreation and leisure studies student from Kitchener on the men’s soccer team. In the Warriors’ recent games against the Windsor Lancers, he scored two goals and an assist to help the team win 3-1 on September 5 and then 3-2 on September 7 on home territory at Warrior Field.
“We were struggling away at Windsor, but stayed confident in each other. I knew I had to score to help the team and build my confidence,” Elezi said in a statement to Imprint about the team’s first game against the Lancers. “I have been practicing timing my runs and being in the right spots to score or help my teammates, and it has paid off.”
As a first year student on the team, Elezi said he felt nervous, but appreciated the support from his teammates and coaches, which helped drive him forward. “Their trust helped me play confidently and fight for the team in every match I’ve played so far.”
Elezi also cites that his preparation and the team camaraderie bond have helped build his confidence and abilities for the upcoming season: “We’ve worked hard since training camp, and I hope we can keep up the momentum with the good results.”
To readers and hopeful athletes, he emphasizes the importance of having support from teammates and coaches: “Work hard, stay focused and be confident — the results will come.”
The men’s soccer team will return to Warrior Field in a home game against the Laurier Golden Hawks this Friday, Sept. 12 at 8:15 p.m.
Olivia Larssen:
Olivia Larssen is a third-year computer science student and also in her third year on the women’s rugby team.
Larssen has a history of strong offensive plays, having scored three times last year against the York Lions during the opening match of last year’s season. In the Warriors’ game against the Toronto Varsity Blues, which ended in a 48-26 win for the Warriors, she scored three tries and had an 100 per cent tackle completion rate.
Larssen, originally from Burlington, is a two-time recipient of the UW Athletics financial award and also served as captain of the Women’s Rugby Team at Hillfield Strathallan College in Hamilton. This is the second time Larssen has received recognition as an Athlete of the Week.
The Women’s rugby team will face off against the York Lions again in Toronto on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 4 p.m.
