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www.insidehalton.com |O A K V ILLE B E A V E R |Thursday, Decem ber 7, 2 0 1 7 |4 2 Oakville Soccer Club adds two females, Miliucci and Spencer, to coaching staff The Oakville Soccer Club has expanded its coaching staff with the addition of two female coaches in the ad vanced development and rep development programs. Form er OSC play er Victoria Miliucci and Chelsea Spencer Victoria Miliucci have joined the club' s coaching staff. "Oakville Soccer Club is extremely de lighted to have two female coaches of Victo ria and Chelsea' s pedigree," said OSC senior technical director Chris Grierson. "Their qualifications and experience are a tremen dous asset to the club and we believe that their presence and influence will benefit the female players at OSC." Miliucci, an Oakville native, holds a pro vincial B coaching licence and has coached in several OSC programs. After playing for OSC and the provincial program, she played at Florida International University while completing a Bachelor of Science in Physi cal Education. After graduating, Miliucci served as the assistant coach at the University of British Columbia, where she completed a Master of Kinesiology in Coach ing Science, and Saint Mary's University. Miliucci also com pleted her Bachelor of Education degree at Brock University. Spencer is a certified C licence coach who also has previous expe rience with OSC. She worked with the club ·' / . Che| sea Spence r as a head coach with both the advanced de velopment and rep development programs, enjoying success with those teams, includ ing league promotions. As a player, Spencer played in both the provincial and national team program s while attending the University of Louis ville and Niagara University. She played semi-professionally for the Toronto Lady Lynx and Ham ilton FC Rage as well as in the FA W om en's Prem ier League in Eng land. A certified m entor for the C oaches As sociation of Ontario, Spencer is passion ate about supporting new female coaches and increasing female participation in the sport. OSC has 1 2 ,0 0 0 members with more than 9 0 0 volunteer and professional coaches. Oakville s Chris Festarini is finally able to display his goaltending prowess with the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks after being sidelined with concussion symptoms for the past three years.j photo by Adam Jackson - Metroland Media Goalie Chris Festarini one reason Laurier Golden Hawks on the rise By Adam Jackson Metroland Media It' s been nearly four years since Oakville's Chris Festarini was recruited by the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks -- and he's finally found his stride. But it's no fault of his own. The fourth-year business student at Laurier is in what should be his first full season between the pipes for the Golden Hawks -- who are off to their best start in eight years -- after battling concussion symptoms for most of his post-secondary career. It was during his rookie season when Festarini was bowled over during a game against the Toronto Varsity Blues that it all started. Festarini was taken off with what appeared to be a concussion -- and as he later found out, it was severe. Festarini spent the rest of that season in the press box and, come the 2 0 1 5 -1 6 season, he was still unable to return to the ice. "I thought I was going to have to give up hockey," said the netminder. "It was all the symptoms, you name it -- headaches, diffi culty concentrating . . . " That was a difficult thought for the life long goalie. After a minor hockey career that earned looks from around the Ontario Hockey League, Festarini was drafted by the Erie Otters in 2 0 0 8 at the age of 15. He would play 25 games for the Otters over three sea sons before being shipped off to the Niagara IceDogs during the 2 0 1 1 -1 2 campaign. He spent most of his remaining junior eligibility with the IceDogs, suiting up in 9 4 games. Through the near-two seasons of severe concussion symptoms, Festarini stayed with the team and stayed involved with the en couragement of head coach Greg Puhalski. "For us, we made a com m itm ent to him ," said Puhalski before a 3 -2 overtime loss to the Brock Badgers on Nov. 17. "He' s a smart kid . he' s not dumb and he's getting a good education. W e're glad that he' s playing well and it goes to show that if you stick with it you never know when your chance will come to help your team ." Finally, in the 2 0 1 6 -1 7 season, Festarini was able to return to the ice. But it didn't go exactly as planned. "I knew I was going to be rusty after not playing for nearly two years," said Festarini. "There was a lot of rust." Festarini, in four starts, had a dismal 3.65 goals-against average and an .8 7 7 save per centage. In his words, "It didn't really go as planned." But now, in what likely will be his last sea son with the Golden Hawks, Festarini has found his stride. In seven starts, he is the owner of a 2.01 GAA and a .936 save per centage, putting him in second and fourth in the league, respectively. Combine that with teammate Colin Furlong's 2 .1 7 GAA in the same amount of starts, and a .929 save per centage, and you have the most formidable goaltending duo in Ontario University Ath letics hockey. Combined, Furlong and Festarini have the third-lowest GAA in the league at 2.30. Riding the hot goaltending, the Golden Hawks were 10-4-2 through 16 games, put ting them a point out of first in the Western Division. Puhalski confirms goaltending has had a significant impact on the team this season, but the group is also playing with a different type of energy. "They're never giving up and they're play ing hard." After an extended exam break, Festarini and the Golden Hawks return to action Friday, Jan. 5 when they host the Ryerson Rams. WINTER BREAK SPEND THE HOLIDAYS W ITH THE TOP HOCKEY CAMP IN OAKVILLE JANUARY 2-5TH j- CAMPS > Ho CAN LAN