A local soccer player has recently been crowned the Grassroots Athlete of the Year by the Saskatchewan Soccer Association (SSA).
Kendra Varjassy, a striker for the 2015 indoor and outdoor provincial champion Yorkton United U18 girls’ team, won the award at the 2015 SSA Awards banquet in Saskatoon on March 19 after outstanding indoor and outdoor club soccer seasons in which she was twice named provincial MVP – once indoor and once outdoor – after helping lead her club team to a pair of provincial titles. “It means a lot to me to win this award,” Varjassy told Yorkton This Week. “I was honoured to even just be nominated for it, so to win it; it felt really good to have my hard work recognized like that.”
The talented striker scored 13 goals and collected six assists over the 2015 outdoor season and 41 goals and 10 assists over the indoor season for Yorkton United in the award winning year.
In addition Varjassy – who captained the Sacred Heart Saints female soccer team during the 2015 SHSAA fall season – tallied 30 goals and added 19 assists in high school play for a total of 84 goals and 35 assists throughout the entire year.
However, Varjassy believes that the credit shouldn’t just go to her. “I have a lot of people to thank for this award,” offered the 12-year soccer veteran. “All of my coaches and teammates and my parents, I wouldn’t have won this award without them.”
Now Varassy will turn her complete attention to finishing high school. She’ll graduate from Sacred Heart this year, before pursuing a Marketing degree at the University of Saskatchewan’s Edwards School of Business.
She’ll also consider playing postsecondary soccer, although she says she hasn’t decided if she’ll try out for the Huskies or not. “I’m still thinking about it. I haven’t totally decided, but I am attending the University of Saskatchewan next year so if I do then it would be with the Huskies,” mentioned Varjassy, adding that if she does decide to play university soccer one of the main reasons will be so that she can once again play with long-time teammate Rita Fetsch, who recently finished her first season with the Huskies. “It would be fun to play with her again.
“I’ve missed playing with her and I feel that if we did happen to play on the same team, that our connection on the field would still be there and it would make it an easier transition (to college soccer).”
Other awards
Varjassy wasn’t the only Yorkton soccer player to win an award at the SSA awards night. Nick Fetsch won the U14 Boys Golden Boot for top scorer, Spencer Steele was named co-winner of the U16 Boys Golden Boot with Rodrigo Santamaria, while Zach Shearer took home the U16 Boys Top Goaltender award. Both Steele and Shearer spent the 2015 season with Queen City United in Regina.
Long-time Yorkton coach Alfredo Bermudez was also honoured at the SSA awards banquet. Bermudez was given the President’s Award – one of SSA’s most prestigious awards (see related story on Page A18).
