By Tyler Reis-Sanford
Star player Zeina Zibara from Ottawa South United Force is taking her soccer journey to the National Development Centre, but not without adding some more achievements to her youth club history.
Zibara was a standout scoring champion in the Ontario Player Development League for 2024, earning an OPDL Cup title as an underage player with the OSU under-16 girls team and a national bronze medal with the U15 girls just before she transitioned to the full-time youth training center of the women’s national team in Toronto.
During the Cup final, Zibara showcased her incredible speed, agility, and ball control by scoring both goals in a 2-0 win against Woodbridge.
“Honestly, it felt amazing,” reflected the 15-year-old who celebrated her birthday just days before. “I’m just so glad I could support the girls and this team and score the two goals we needed to secure the title.” 2025 OPDL Cup U16 girls-champion Ottawa South United Force. Photo: Ontario Soccer
This marked another OPDL Cup title for the U16 squad, which had previously defeated Woodbridge in penalty kicks last season. The team faced some tense moments but managed impressive performances on their way to back-to-back championships.
Prior to their rematch in the Cup final, they first needed to face a Durham team that had previously given OSU challenges during their regular season matchup.
In their earlier encounter during OPDL east regular season play, Durham made a dramatic comeback from being down 3-0 to tie it up with three goals in the last quarter of an hour. In contrast, during the semi-final round of the Cup, Durham went ahead 1-0 initially; however, this time OSU responded strongly with five consecutive goals (three scored by Zibara) leading them to a decisive 5-1 victory.
“It was great to get that result against a tough opponent; it gave us a lot of confidence,” stated Force coach Paulo Sousa. “Zeina was very important. Her hat trick led us to the final.”
Sousa’s squad remains unbeaten in U16 OPDL premier division play with three wins and one draw and he praised his players’ solid defensive effort during their final match against Woodbridge where Liv Harthun and Taylor Raistruck teamed up for a clean sheet in goal.
Zibara definitely looked comfortable playing at an older age level.
“I actually like it better,” Zibara shared when asked about any challenges she faced moving up. “The game is faster and I adjust better with them. I play more freely.”
Source link
Strong Finish
Canadian Player Development Program Soccer Championships U15 girls’ bronze-medallist OSU Force. Photo: OSU For her last match wearing OSU colors, Zibara returned to her U15 team for the Canadian Player Development Program Soccer Championships held at the end of August. The Force qualified for this event after finishing undefeated during their championship season in 2024 where Zibara netted an impressive league-high of 28 goals over 17 games – significantly outscoring all other players. In group stage play at nationals, OSU won against St. Albert 3-1 (with two goals from Zibara), then lost narrowly to Saint-Laurent 2-1 before winning decisively against Coquitlam Metro-Ford 5-0 which allowed them advancement into the bronze medal match. In that contest against North Vancouver, OSU executed well as May Ilias scored early within three minutes ensuring they secured a narrow but crucial victory at 1-0. OSU’s U15 boys matched their success too by earning bronze at PDP nationals after defeating St-Hubert 3-2. Zeina Zibara. Photo: Ontario Soccer After receiving her medal on Aug. 31 in Vaughan, Zibara stayed put as she began school year preparations along with settling into her new training environment at NDC. Zibara mentioned feeling nervous about this transition but felt reassured knowing that her father would accompany her. “It’s going to help me a lot. It would be really hard for me not to have the support of my family,” emphasized Zibara. “They’ve always been there for me, and that’s something I really need.” Despite already having an impressive goal-scoring record behind her, Zibara expressed wanting to enhance her conversion rate while at NDC alongside pursuing another significant aim that’s coming closer within reach. “I want to play for the national team,” asserted Zibara. “Maybe U16 or U17 first, but I’d love to represent my country.”Related
Source link
