LOCAL SPOTLIGHT
Local Player Spotlight: Zach Tait
PLAYER STATS
Age: 28
Height: 6'1"
Jersey Number: 11 & 4
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Playing History:
Hamilton Sparta
London City
Brantford Galaxy
Team Ontario
U21 Canadian National Team
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Playing Honours:
OYSL League Champions (3 Consecutive Years)
Ontario Cup Champions (2 Consecutive Years)
Dallas Cup Champions
CSL Champions 2010
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For full player biography, access page with a computer
Player Biography
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Like most, Zach started playing recreational soccer at the age of 4 years old in the timbits soccer league. As he grew, his love of the sport also grew, paving way for his long time involvement in a successful soccer career. At age 7 Zach chose to pursue a more competitive route joining the rep Burford Mustangs league. This was just the beginning of his competitive soccer career. He then went on to play for Hamilton Sparta for 2 years.
At age 12 Zach was invited to the London Dynamite (currently known as London City) for their OYSL team. His time with the London Dynamite team was a very successful period for Zach and his teammates as they won the OYSL league for three consecutive years and the Ontario Cup for two consecutive years. Their success branched out to the United States as they went on to compete at the Dallas Cup in Dallas, Texas bringing home the gold.
After years of success with London, Zach was invited to the try outs for Brantford's first ever CSL team - Brantford Galaxy. Try outs took place over several training sessions before they selected Zach and other members (from all around the world) for the first ever Brantford Galaxy CSL team.
In 2010 Zach and his teammates of the Brantford Galaxy won the CSL Championship. Zach continued with the Brantford Galaxy for 2 years following their championship win in hopes of a bigger and brighter future. Looking back, Zach is thankful for his many influential coaches that helped him along the way through many of his successes.
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Zach now tears it up on Friday's in the BMSL (Brantford Men's Soccer League) for Victory F.C.
PLAYER FUN FACTS
Favourite Club Team:
Manchester United
Favourite International Team:
England
Favourite Player:
Ryan Giggs
Favourite Food:
Steak
Favourite Colour:
Red
Toughest Opponent:
Dixie FC
Best Soccer Memory:
Winning the CSL Championship
Other hobbies/interests:
Beating Coach Brendon at Settlers of Catan
At UST we like to celebrate players in our community. Do you know someone who deserves some recognition? Send us an email. You might see yourself, or someone you know listed below.
Brantford
players
Local Player Spotlight: Lisa Bijman
PLAYER STATS
Age: 24
Height: 5'7
Jersey Number: 5
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Playing History:
BICS 2000-05 (SRSL),
Burlington Soccer Academy 2006-14 (OYSL)
Region 2 Ontario 2005-07
St. John's College 2007-10 (AAAA),
University of Maine 2010-14 (NCAA D1)
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Playing Honours (School):
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St. John's College
Female Athlete of the Year 2010, Female Soccer MVP 2010
University of Maine
America East (AE) Conference All-Rookie Team 2010,
AE All-Championship Team 2012,2013,
AE First-Team 2013,
AE All-Academic Team 2013,
AE Woman of the Year Finalist 2014,
AE Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year 2014
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Playing Honours (Club):
Ontario Cup Champions U16,
National Championships Bronze U16,
OYSL League Champions and OWSL League Champions
For full player biography, access page with a computer
Player Biography
I grew up in Brantford in a house full of brothers, where my love for competition started. Growing up, I played sports all year around, which included soccer, basketball, softball, flag football, volleyball, and cross country. Soccer become my main focus around grade 7 when I started playing at a higher level. At this time, I was playing on a regional team that included players from cities like Burlington, Mississauga, Hamilton, and Niagara. I met a few players from the Burlington Soccer Club, and transitioned to their team at U14.
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Playing for such a large club provided me with many opportunities to showcase myself to NCAA coaches. We played in various tournaments across the US, had coaches travel to Canada to watch league games, and went on an extensive recruiting trip along the East coast of the US. During the recruiting trip in the summer before my grade 11 year, UMaine was our first stop. At this time I met the team, coaches, and toured the campus and later that year I committed to UMaine.
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Playing for the University of Maine was an unbelievable experience that allowed me to both grow as a person and a player, but also challenged me in ways I could never imagine. The commitment, discipline, and sacrifices needed to play for a D1 school are extensive but I enjoyed (almost) every moment. As a holding midfielder, I was honoured to get a large amount of playing time during my four years and to have such an impact on a phenomenal team. If I could send a message along to that naive freshman girl, I would say to enjoy every practice, every early morning, and every opportunity to step on that field. You have no idea what you're capable of; your mind will defeat you long before your body will. Trust yourself, your skills, and the hours of dedicated work you have put in. At times it will feel like the sprints will never end, but the years pass faster than expected. And have some damn good fun doing it!
PLAYER FUN FACTS
Other Career: Physician Assistant (graduation 2018)
Idol Growing Up: Desiree Scott
Favourite International Team: CanWNT
Favourite Player: Robin van Persie
Favourite Skill: Heading
Favourite Food: Peanut butter and banana
Best Soccer Memory: Scoring the tying goal in my senior year conference semi's (only to lose in PKs...)
Other hobbies/interests: I enjoy running, yoga, lifting weights, hiking and playing other sports like squash, volleyball, and basketball. I still play soccer recreationally. You will find me either crammed on my laptop studying, drinking coffee, traveling somewhere new around the globe, or napping.
Links: UMaine Women's Soccer- http://goblackbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=2267#
#blackbearnation
Scroll for more local legends ;)
Local Player Spotlight: Jacek Przednowek
PLAYER STATS
Age: 31 Jersey Number:13
Height: 6' Weight: 190 lbs
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Playing History:
Drexel University (2004)
Robert Morris University
(2005 - 2007)
Milwaukee Wave (2008)
Canadian National Beach Soccer Team (2011)
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Playing Honours:
OYSL League Champions
U15 Provincial Team (Ontario)
U17 Provincial Team (Ontario)
Ontario Cup Champion (Indoor Soccer)
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For full player biography, access page with a computer
Player Biography
Early Years
I was born in a small town in Poland called Lubaczow. My dad was a Police officer and my mom was a teacher. In 1992 my family emigrated to Canada and moved to Winnipeg. I had played soccer my entire life up until that point but had never played on an organized team. In 1993 I played on my first soccer team called the Sinclair Park Sabres. In 1994 my family moved to Brantford, Ontario where I continued to play soccer. I started playing soccer in the Brantford house league. After one season I was brought up the the BICS (now known as Brantford Galaxy) team. I played with BICS up until grade 8.
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High School
Two years in the OYSL I was the leading goal scorer across Ontario. I won a silver medal with the provincial U17’s in Newfoundland. I played in multiple showcase tournaments across the U.S including the Cincinnati Blue Chip showcase, Dallas Cup, Indoor nationals in Philadelphia, and the USA cup in Minnesota. When I was a member of Hamilton Sparta, the team was ranked the #1 U-17 team in Canada. I had an opportunity to go play in Belgium at this time with a youth club but my parents kept me in Canada for school.
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University
In 2004 I got multiple scholarship offers to universities. I took a scholarship to Drexel university and moved to Philadelphia. I scored two goals in my first two games and then had a small fracture on my foot. I played injured the remainder of the season. After a poor rookie year I transferred schools to Robert Morris University in 2005. My first year at RMU I played in and started all 20 games. I scored 14 goals and had three assists. I finished 14th in the nation (200+ teams) in goals per game.
In 2007 my senior season at RMU I finished second in the Nation in goals per game. I scored 15 goals and had 4 assists. I was named to the all conference first team for the second time. I graduated from Robert Morris with a bachelor of science in business with a sports management minor.
Major Indoor Soccer League
After my senior season I trained with DC united and Columbus Crew but didn’t get drafted to the MLS. I instead got drafted to the MISL. In 2008 I played professional indoor soccer for the Milwaukee wave. I scored a hat trick in my first ever game. Another injury sidelined me and I was forced to miss the final 7 games out of the 20 game season. After this injury I gave up competitive soccer.
PLAYER FUN FACTS
Other Career: Police Officer
Idol Growing Up: My Dad
Favourite Club Team: FC Barcelona
Favourite International Team: Poland
Favourite Food: Mom's Perogies
Favourite Skill: Free Kick
Other Sports, Interests or Hobbies: My family. Ashleigh (wife) and two daughters Elliot and Cooper.
Favourite Soccer Memory: Robert Morris University soccer in 2005. Our team made the conference tournament for the north east conference. We won in the semi finals 2-1. In the championship game we faced the regular season champions Monmouth. We beat Monmouth 3-2 in Overtime (golden goal) I scored all three goals for RMU. I was named to the college soccer news team of the week and named the tournament MVP. I was also named to the all conference first team.
Local Player Spotlight: Patryk Misik
PLAYER STATS
Age: 22 Jersey Number: 6
Height: 5'8'' Weight: 158 lbs.
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Playing History:
2010/11: Brantford Galaxy SC (Canada)
2011-2014: WKS Śląsk Wrocław (Poland)
2015: Ottawa Fury FC (Canada)
2015/16- Raków CzÄ™stochowa (Poland)
Current Club: SD Órdenes (Spain)
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Playing Honours: 2010 Canadian Soccer League Championship
2012 Polish Young Ekstraklasa bronze medalist
Canadian Youth International
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For full player biography, access page with a computer
Born and raised in Brantford, I began to play soccer at the local house league level. At the age of 10 I made the step up to rep soccer joining the U11 Brantford Inter-city Soccer Club (BICS). I would remain playing in BICS until U15. During those four years my coaches were my father Kris Misik, Tomo Dancetovic, and Dave Stewart. Our age group, 1994, had the most successful and talented team that has ever come up from Brantford. We were ranked top 10 in Ontario and won several titles and tournaments throughout our time together. The biggest influence I had at the youth level was my father. He has taught me everything I know about the sport and if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be where I am today. I've had many great coaches along the years but my father is and was the biggest influence I've had. To this day he is still helping me improve my game. After finishing with rep soccer I decided to move to the Toronto scene. I spent time with the Toronto Lynx Academy, playing in many University and College showcases in the United States. I was also nominated for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) in the United States. At the age of 15, I decided to return home and play for the Brantford Galaxy in the Canadian Soccer League. In our inaugural season in 2010, we won the championship. I became one of the youngest players in history to play in the CSL. I attended St. John's High School and played for the soccer program under great coaches Peter Pomponio and Carmine Romano. During the three years I attended high school, we won the Brantford high school championship every single year. In 2011 after a successful trial in Poland, I signed for WKS ÅšlÄ…sk WrocÅ‚aw, one of the most successful clubs in recent Polish history. During my time there I moved up the ranks and was part of the first team for one year. I got to play and learn with some of the best players in Poland. During this time I also got called up to the U20 and U23 Canadian National Team. Making appearances against countries like France, Costa Rica, Cameroon, Congo, and Rwanda. At the 2013 Francophone games I scored my first international goal against France. A few days later I added another against Congo. After my first spell in Poland I returned to Canada and played for Ottawa Fury FC in the North American Soccer League, one tier underneath Major League Soccer League (MLS). In 2015, I moved back to Polish side Rakow Czestochowa, where I would play one season. And now I am currently in Spain playing for Spanish side SD Órdenes. At the moment my coach is Jaime Sanchez, former Real Madrid player, Champions League and La Liga winner.
PLAYER FUN FACTS
Other Career: No other career, I've been a professional soccer player since the age of 16.
Idol Growing Up: Lionel Messi Favourite Club Team: FC Barcelona
Favourite International Team: Poland Favourite Player: Grzegorz Krychowiak (PSG)
Favourite Food: Pizza, Perogies
Favourite Colour: Red
Toughest Opponent: St. Pauli (2. Bundlesliga)
Best Socer Memory: Scoring my first international goal against France at the 2013 Francophone Games
Other Sports, Interests or Hobbies:
Other sports that I enjoy to play are hockey and tennis. Interests and hobbies include: travelling, cooking, listening to music, and drinking coffee. In my time off I love to quality spend time with family and close friends.
Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patryk_Misik
Local Player Spotlight: Hope Baker
PLAYER STATS
Name: Hope Baker
Age: 13
Height: 65"
Weight: 130 lbs
Jersey Number: 5
Playing History: Hope has been playing soccer since she was 5.
Playing Honours: Hope Is currently playing centre back and is still the top goal scorer for her team, scoring most of her goals from 30 yards.
Player Bio
Hope has a great love for soccer and has been playing soccer since she was 5. Hope played in Brantford until she was 12 (and, of course, has participated in and enjoyed many of Ulysse's soccer camps!). Hope first played in house league, then progressed to rep soccer where her father, Omar Baker, coached her for 3 years up until U12. Hope aspires to be a professional soccer player and in an effort to continue to develop her skills in soccer and play at a higher level, Hope has now moved to the OPDL where she plays for Hamilton United on the U13 Team. Hope is very dedicated to the sport and to her ongoing development and trains 5 days per week. Hope is currently being coached by Billy McKenna, who is the Head Coach and Technical Director. Billy is an awesome coach with 30 years of experience who has won National Championships.
PLAYER FUN FACTS
Other Career: Still giving it some thought.
Idol Growing Up: Lionel Messi of course! and Melissa Tancredi
Favourite Club Team: Barcelona FC
Favourite International Team: Team Canada
Favourite Food: French fries!
Favourite Colour: Black, blue
Toughest Opponent: Just played Richmond Hill OPDL and they were very tough!!
Best Soccer Memory: There are so many! One that stands out is when I played up on the U13 Hamilton United Regional Team last year and we won gold at our tournament in Chili, NY. We beat out all of the American teams which was quite an accomplishment and so much fun!!
Other Sports, Interests or Hobbies: In addition to soccer, Hope is an "A" student and a published author, plays the piano, sings, dances and volunteers.
Local Player Spotlight: Dexter Hamilton
PLAYER STATS
Name: Dexter Hamilton
Age: 25
Height: 5'7
Weight: 156
Jersey Number: 16/8
Playing History: TFC academy, Elements FC, B
Brantford Galaxy S.C A and B, Miami Soccer Academy
Playing Honours: Rookie of the year for ACS and Elements FC,
Captain of the Galaxy B.
Favourite Club Team: Manchester City
Favourite International Team: Germany
Favourite Player: Messi
Favourite Skill: reverse flip flap
Favourite Food: spaghetti and meatballs
Favourite Colour: green
Toughest Opponent: Patryk Misik
Best Socer Memory: scoring my first professional hattrick
Other Sports, Interests or Hobbies: love playing basketball,
and table tennis, go karting
Bio:
Dexter moved to Canada when he was 4 and his father was his first coach. "Havent looked back since." Dexter has always been interested in the sport. He started travel soccer when he was 10 with the the brantford inner city soccer club (BICS). He received the opportunity to train in Toronto for a couple seasons when he was 15. Moved to Trinidad when he was 18 to sign his first professional contract with Elements FC, where he received rookie of the year as a striker. After 1 season he came back to Brantford to play for the Galaxy senior team for 3-4 successful seasons as a starter / captain for the B team and a call up for the A team. This year he has taken the opportunity to play in Miami for the Miami soccer academy.
More Local Spotlights Coming Soon...
Dexter Hamilton
PLAYER STATS
Name: Dexter Hamilton
Age: 25
Height: 5'7
Weight: 156
Jersey Number: 16/8
Playing History: TFC academy, Elements FC, Brantford Galaxy S.C A and B, Miami Soccer Academy
Playing Honours: Rookie of the year for ACS and Elements FC, Captain of the Galaxy B.
Favourite Club Team: Manchester City
Favourite International Team: Germany
Favourite Player: Messi
Favourite Skill: reverse flip flap
Favourite Food: spaghetti and meatballs
Favourite Colour: green
Toughest Opponent: Patryk Misik
Best Socer Memory: scoring my first professional hattrick
Other Sports, Interests or Hobbies: love playing basketball, and table tennis, go karting