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18 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · SATURDAY, JULY 29, 2006 Torn ACL doesn't stop Iroquois Ridge grad Amanda Douglas overcomes knee injury, lands scholarship at University of South Alabama By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF serious knee injury two years ago could have easily put an end to Amanda Douglas' days as a competitive soccer player. With her team in the midst of a march to the national championships, Douglas tore her anterior cruciate ligament. A key player on provincial teams and captain of the Ontario Under-14 squad, Douglas made the difficult decision to stop playing for Ontario. "It was probably the most serious injury I've had," Douglas said. "I stepped back from the provincial team and decided to go back without pushing it. Everyone has their own path and that's the one I decided to take." Two years later it's tough to argue with the decision. The 18-year-old helped the North Oakville Galaxy U21 squad win the league cup. And despite not playing provincially, which would have increased her exposure to college scouts, Douglas still earned a scholarship from University of South Alabama. She also made a strong debut in the W-League, North America's top women's soccer league, this summer. Douglas began the year just hoping to practice with the expansion Hamilton Avalanche and maybe get into a couple of games. By the end of the W-League season, she had suited up for 10 of the 12 games, averaging 56 minutes per game. And it was the improvement of players like Douglas that helped the first-year team post a winning record (6-5-1) in their inaugural season. "I thought we had a really good year," the defender/midfielder said. "Compared to the other teams we were playing, we were really young so it was good for us to experience it. We just came together really well. It's uncommon to mesh like we did." The Avalanche had the type of rocky start that one might expect from a first-year team, losing its first three games by a combined score of 12-0. But Hamilton came back to earn six wins and a tie in its last nine games. Ability to adjust Douglas was among the players who showed the ability to make adjustments from one game to the next in order for the team to succeed. Avalanche coach Billy McKenna already knew Douglas was capable of playing for his team and though he had coached her for several years in the rep system, even he saw an improvement in her game. "She's matured in her reading of the game," McKenna said. "She cuts down on her running because she knows where the ball is going to be." The Avalanche certainly proved to be adept at making adjustments. After suffering a 5-0 loss to Rochester, Hamilton bounced back to down the Rhinos a week later in A HERB GARBUTT / OAKVILLE BEAVER ALABAMA-BOUND: Amanda Douglas (right), pictured challenging Rochester's Elizabeth Masterson for the ball during a recent W-League contest in Hamilton, will play soccer this fall at the University of South Alabama. a season-ending 3-1 victory on July 15. Douglas assisted on the winning goal and was named to the W-League's weekly all-star team. McKenna said the Iroquois Ridge graduate is very modest but he has no problem heaping praise on her. "She's physical, she can pass, she can tackle -- the kid's got everything," he said. "And the most important thing is she's got a fantastic attitude." McKenna says Douglas has a bright future ahead of her in college and South Alambama coach Mike Varga agrees. "Amanda's background with the Ontario provincial team and her current coach, Billy McKenna, have her prepared to have an immediate impact on our team," he said in announcing Douglas' signing. " Amanda is also an excellent student and will have a very good future on and off the field." And Douglas believes her experience in the W-League will be good preparation for next season. "Most of the players in the league play in the schools I'm going to be playing against next year," she said. "Every chance you get to play against players of that caliber is going to make you a better player." -- Herb Garbutt can be reached at sports@oakvillebeaver.com. At Air Calm, we take the C.A.R.E. Promise for our Customers! As a leader in heating and cooling, we deliver above-average C.A.R.E (That's Comfort, Accountability, Reliability and Excellence!) to our customers and to our community. Air Calm ClimateCare understands the needs of all of our customers. Call us today for a NO OBLIGATION home analysis of your heating and cooling requirements. A member of ClimateCare, Ontario's largest heating & cooling cooperative e-mail: aircalm@climatecare.com 905- 844 -7354 The Heating and Cooling Professionals who C.A.R.E. Comfort. Accountability. Reliability. Excellence. FURNACES BOILERS SERVICE INFLOOR HEATING FIREPLACES AIR CONDITIONERS INDOOR AIR QUALITY