Arielle Roy-Petitclerc has evolved on the professional scene in Europe in recent seasons, after being elected student athlete of the year in Canada in 2017. Laurie Couture-Dallaire spent the last campaign, before the pandemic, on the sidelines due to knee injuries. The two star players are back with the Rouge et Or soccer club for the coming season.
“It’s a gift we receive. We are really talking about two impact players, not only in the locker room, but on the field, ”said head coach David Desloges, whose herds will be in action on Friday at McGill, before the start of the school year. local on September 19 at PEPS, against Sherbrooke. Roy-Petitclerc is a high-level central defender, who has played in France in recent years, in Albi from 2017 to 2019, then in Brest from 2019 to 2021.
Returning to Quebec in July and enrolled in a master’s degree, she decided against all odds to play her last year of eligibility with the Rouge et Or.
Reunion
Incidentally, one of his great accomplices in the last conquest of the Canadian championship in 2016, Laurie Couture-Dallaire, is also back in service.
“I had to have knee surgery twice in a year and a half. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s getting better. I think we will have a very big team, with a lot of depth, ”said the midfielder.
The high expectations don’t bother David Desloges in the slightest, who will be in his second season at the helm, as the 2020 season has passed in the wringer.
“Every year, the goal is to win the provincial championship, and we’re in the race all the time. “
“We’ve been recruiting for two years, but we can’t play. We will have a good mix with 50% veterans and 50% recruits. I expect to bet on a good group, ”said the driver.
Renewal in men
On the men’s side, who also begin their season on Friday at McGill, the team is rebuilding with 15 new players and probably 18 including three players awaiting their study permits in the country.
It’s unheard of for the team since the program’s first season, in 2000.
“The goal is always the Canadian championship,” added coach Samir Ghrib hastily.
“The philosophy does not change. There is a good team spirit and on the tactical side, we are working well, ”he added.
The French sector will be at the service of the team, with seven players from France.
