Soccer coach Frank Malvaso has travelled this road before. But for the core of young ladies who recently captured the OWSL (Ontario Women’s Soccer League) U-21 Central Regional Championship, they have clearly broken new ground.

In winning the Central Regional Division, the Sudbury Canadians U-21 squad has earned a promotion into the OWSL U-21 Provincial League next year and with it, the opportunity to test themselves against some of the best players in Ontario.

It was very much the same type of extraordinary talent-base that would prompt Malvaso to challenge the limits of competition for local female soccer just a few years back.

Blessed with a roster of 1985-born athletes that included the likes of Megan Schutt, Katie Johnston, Lauren Podolski and Tessa Bonhomme, the Canadians routinely trekked to destinations far and wide in search of outstanding tournament competition.

Now, the next wave of elite level Canadians make a step forward, prepared to take to the field in 2011 facing teams loaded with post-secondary talent. This despite the fact that the Sudbury squad is likely to remain one of the younger sides in the circuit, much the same as this year.

Of course, when your “core group” starts with the likes of Cloe Lacasse, Serena San Cartier and Karolyne Blain, it should come as little surprise that youth did not deter the 2010 Canadians in the least.

Averaging more than six goals a game, the Sudbury ladies produced eye-popping offensive stats. Yet it was clearly the overall commitment to solid defensive play in front of long-time keeper Amelia Temelini that most pleased coach Malvaso.

“These guys were stingy – they weren’t giving up anything”, praised Malvaso of the back-line effort anchored by Laurentian Lady Vees’ recruit Ashley Melnek and a host of others. The Canadians would finish the season with a league-high five shutouts.

With a mix of 1992 and 1993 girls in the lineup, this particular crew of Canadians soccer stars first intermingled as a U-10 team, eventually gaining entry to the Central Girls Soccer League (CGSL).

The squad remained consistently competitive, although never quite breaking through to the OYSL standard, a move that was predicated on winning a CGSL championship. Still, improvement was noted with every passing year.

“The team definitely looked stronger all over the field” said Malvaso, who felt that the jump into OWSL play back in 2009 was necessary in order to force the level of play from his team up another notch.

“Watching their progress, I think it worked”, he said. The championship banner this summer marks another step forward for a team that has evolved since the beginning of the squad seven or eight years ago.

Malvaso notes, with pride, the incredible commitment of Timmins native Aislynn Cooper, a regular with the team since her days with the Regional Training Centre under former professional player Brian Ashton.

Madison Beaudry and Kyla Pettigrew are among a handful that have been with the team almost since the inception of this next wave of Canadians. And, of course, there is the “Macdonald-Cartier” connection, home to both Cloe Lacasse and Karolyne Blain.

The tandem would bring aboard talented scorer Natalie St Laurent some three years back, while defender Mandy Paquette hooked up with this group for the first time this year. In addition to making the jump to the Provincial ranks, Malvaso plans to take this team to tournaments throughout North America, much as he had done almost a decade before with Schutt, Johnston and company.

“What I’ve learned over the years is that you need to take these athletes and expose them to really good players – that’s what they emulate”, stated Malvaso. “External exposure as young as you can get it, as often as you can get it, is key.”

Though the promotion is still a year away, Malvaso is confident the adjustment to the next level is clearly a move his team is ready for. “Our overall team speed is right up there with a number of the other teams.”

Having watched both the ’85 and ’93 group grow and develop over the years, Malvaso cannot help but to wonder what a head to head matchup might produce. “The scoring power of the big three with this team (Lacasse, San Cartier and Blain) versus the tenacity of the ’85 kids”, ponders Malvaso.

“I wouldn’t be the coach”, he laughs. “I would go sit in the stands and enjoy the game. I tell you what – it would be one of the toughest games we would ever see.”

The roster for the 2010 Sudbury U-21 Canadians includes: Sophie Paradis, Tiffany Johnson, Cloe Lacasse, Kayla Gallo, Madison Beaudry, Serena San Cartier, Nathalie St Laurent, Ashley Melnek, Francesca Cundari, Francesca Semadeni, Kyla Pettigrew, Mandy Paquette, Karolyne Blain, Amelia Temelini, Manager Manon Lacasse and head coach Frank Malvaso.