Provincial soccers best in 2009 honoured

Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association president Doug Redmond of St. John's has announced soccer's best for 2009.
Female players Laura Breen of St. John's and Hannah Rivkin of Mount Pearl, along with Zach Wade and Jacob Westcott of St. John's, are the top players.
Holy Cross/The Duke and team coach Noel 'Jake' Stanford were two other winners along with executive Heather Slaney and official Dave Liverman.
The eight received their awards during a 'recognition' banquet Saturday at the Battery Hotel in St. John's, held in conjunction with the Association's annual general meeting.
In naming the winners, Redmond said "the excellence of the 2009 soccer year is certainly shown in the high caliber of this year's winners. They all enjoyed a great deal of personal success and overall were very impressive.
"This was a year for selecting the eventual winners and in addition to the eight named there was a solid core of others who stood out during 2009."
Redmond pointed out "this is a good soccer year and the recognition banquet will be a major highlight since it also honors seven new hall of fame members, the best for the 2000 to 2009 decade and a new honorary life member. It is shaping up as an important soccer event."
FEMALE JUNIOR PLAYER
Hannah Rivkin displayed a great deal of skill and talent during 2009. She was valuable in Mount Pearl's capture of the provincial girls Under 18A championship and the manner in which she played and conducted herself resulted in her being selected the most spirited player.
FEMALE SENIOR PLAYER
Laura Breen continued her outstanding soccer career during 2009. Her accomplishments at all levels of competition are well documented and the overall leadership she provided to any team with which she was associated was again very evident. She has established herself as one of the premiere female soccer players in Newfoundland and Labrador since women's play was initiated in 1977.
MALE JUNIOR PLAYER
Jacob Westcott's brilliant ball handling and play making ability were extremely evident during 2009. At the national Under 14 championships in Sydney, Nova Scotia, his technical ability so impressed national coaches who were scouting the tournament, he was named to the National Training Center, Atlantic Program. He was one of the top performers for the St. John's Under 14 club.
MALE SENIOR PLAYER
Zack Wade came to the forefront of provincial senior male soccer during 2009 and played a valuable role in the Holy Cross team winning the provincial Challenge Cup. A premiere player, from his mid field position, he was the league's scoring champion, winning the 'Wils Molloy Award'. His overall performance was extremely impressive and his determined two-way play was rewarded with an all-star selection and the extremely valuable Most Valuable Player award.
COACH OF YEAR
Noel 'Jake' Stanford continued his extremely valuable contributions to coaching during 2009. His knowledge of the game and his exceptional ability to inspire players were definite assets for the Holy Cross Challenge Cup champions and the St. John's under 14 girls' team.
TEAM OF THE YEAR
Blessed with a young, talented but inexperienced team, Holy Cross demonstrated a commitment to excellence that earned it the 2009 provincial Challenge Cup championship. During the playoffs, they were forced to play three games within 48 hours, including two featuring 30 minutes of extra time. The result was its first Challenge Cup championship in 15 years.
Members of the Holy Cross champions included goalie Scott Edwards, Jeff Slaney, Grant Abbott, Craig Edwards, Jeremy Babstock, Jon Lacey, Chris Pope, Jon Hawco, Brian Reddy, Aaron Anstey, Chris Bulger, Corey Moore, Adam Burry, Jake Warren, Andrew Stanford, Colin Baker, Ryan Yetman, Blaise Peters, Zach Wade, Corey Mullett, coach Noel (Jake) Stanford, assistant coach Ken Jackson, assistant coach Colin Doyle and manager Conor Furey.
EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
Heather Slaney was a valuable contributor to soccer within Newfoundland and Labrador during 2009, both as a volunteer and as an employee of the St. John's Soccer Club. As a volunteer she was coordinator of the City's all-star program involving the supervision of 400 players and 21 teams.
She was also co-coach of the St. John's Under 16 metro team that won the Metro League championship and the provincial Mega Under 16 girls' title.
ROSS ARLETT MEMORIAL AWARD
The Ross Arlett Award is presented in memory of an exceptional contributor to soccer officiating within Newfoundland and Labrador and is annually presented to an individual who has made valuable contributions to soccer officiating.
Dave Liverman has long been a member of the provincial referees committee and his officiating career spans two decades. Liverman has worked as an assistant referee at both the provincial Challenge Cup and national youth levels.
Off the field he is the top referee instructor in the province. During 2009 he was invited by the Canadian Soccer Association to attend FIFA/Futuro III in Saskatoon.