Phenomenal 17-18 start for Ridgebacks’ women’s soccer

By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express

UOIT women’s soccer team has burst out of the gate to start the 2017-18 season.

The Ridgebacks program is currently ranked second in the nation after beginning the new campaign with seven straight wins.

This early success comes on the heels of a 2016-17 season where UOIT won its division and the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship, before capturing a bronze medal at the national championships.

However, for head coach Peyvand Mossavat, the team’s hot start was not necessarily a given.

“To be honest, we had five seniors who had left. There was no guarantee on how the new players coming in were going to gel,” he says.

On the other hand, Mossavat is “not surprised” with the team’s performance so far.

“At the end of the day, it’s a product of the hard work and culture we’ve put in place.”

The team also has the advantage of a number of players being quite familiar with each other.

“Everything is coming together for us to be consistent.”

While a 7-0 record may indicate a certain degree of dominance, Mossavat pointed out in three of those wins the team had to come from behind to prevail and he is confident his players will not allow the fast start to affect their performance in any way.

“One of the pillars for us is humility and to never lose our underdog mentality,” Mossavat stated. “I don’t think our kids take it for granted.”

Other qualities Mossavat and his coaching staff have aimed to engrain in the team’s culture include commitment, sacrifice and being in top physical condition.

“Some of these things have become second nature to our team.”

On the field, the team has a focus on “playing quality football.”

“We are an attack-minded team who likes to move forward and score goals. We are combined as a unit,” Mossavat says.

As technical director for the Oshawa Turuls Soccer Club, Mossavat has made a thorough effort to promote the success of UOIT’s soccer program to young local players.

While Mossavat is focused on increasing the team’s community involvement, for him, it is a two-way street.

“We’d like the community to get more involved. This is our school in Durham and we need everyone’s support,” he says. “UOIT is a fantastic institution with great [educational and varsity] programs. This is now a viable solution for kids in Durham [looking for a quality soccer program] to attend UOIT.”

Even with the Ridgebacks’ current momentum in mind, Mossavat believes this season will not be a walk in the park.

“I think a lot of teams have improved greatly from the past. Even the Trents and Ryersons who traditionally haven’t been very strong, they are playing better football and have better coaching,” he says.

In terms of recruiting, Mossavat is already looking forward to next season as seven seniors will be departing.

“We’ve already made one signing for 2018 and have a number of prospects. We’re always looking for quality players.”

The Ridgebacks next action is on the road against Queen’s on Saturday, Sept. 23.