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By Arielle Follett
Lauren Hughes just can’t get enough of playing soccer in her hometown. The Ottawa native’s talents have taken her away to Houston, TX to play for the NCAA’s Rice University Owls for the majority of the year, but she certainly savours the opportunity to come home during the summer and dress for her old club, the Ottawa Fury.
Competing in the USL W-League loop, Hughes’ Fury have been totally dominant in Central Conference play, racking up an undefeated 10-0-1 record to ensure they play the maximum number of home contests possible in the post-season.
“I believe that this team has the potential to do very well in the playoffs if we perform to the best of our abilities,” Hughes signals. “It will be awesome to be able to have playoffs at home in front of a home crowd.”
This season is the third campaign for the forward who made her first W-League appearance while still studying at St. Peter Catholic High School in Orleans. Hughes has become a standout performer at Rice, earning conference and regional all-star selections in her first two seasons, which she believes wouldn’t have been possible without the opportunities she received as a Fury youth player.
“The Ottawa Fury does a phenomenal job of getting their youth players seen by collegiate coaches,” indicates the 2010 USL Super-Y League U-17 champion and finals tournament MVP. “If it hadn’t been for the Fury club (…) I would not be at Rice.”
Even though Fury players hail from many corners of the globe – USA, England, Australia and Norway amongst players’ nationalities on this year’s squad – Hughes enjoys the feel of a “very close and tight knit team,” which she credits in large part to Fury W-League coach Dom Oliveri.
“He creates a relaxed soccer environment that allows us to enjoy playing soccer but keeps the intensity of our practices high,” Hughes adds.
Second-year Fury defender Shelina Zadorsky agrees that there’s a strong bond between the club’s players.
“My favorite part of being a Fury player is having the opportunity to play and live with new teammates,” says the London, Ont. native who played for Canada at the 2012 U-20 Women’s World Cup. “Working every day with these girls has been so fun and very beneficial as a player.”
With out-of-town Fury players living together in club-funded accommodations in Lowertown while they’re with the squad, Oliveri takes particular care to select a group that’s going to get along well.
“Character is something that is really important to us when we are recruiting. The players truly become a family while they are here,” highlights the 2012 W-League-champion Fury coach. “We have been fortunate enough to recruit great people to Ottawa this season.”
It’s a short campaign overall with the season opening in late May and concluding with the league championships set for barely two months later from July 25-27 in Florida.
“For our club, anything less than winning the W-League championship is a disappointment,” Oliveri underlines. “So far, we have played well but it is extremely important for us to continue to grow as a team over the next few weeks before the playoffs start.”