Although she hasn’t played many competitive minutes in her two most recent seasons in the NCAA, Edmonton’s Annie Ulliac has maintained a positive attitude while looking to the future.

While the 21-year-old goalkeeper has spent the last two seasons as a redshirt, a college athlete who was withdrawn from competitive play to maintain future eligibility, she has made the most of the experience.

“[Redshirting has been] a unique experience because you still train with the team and participate in all activities while sitting on the bench each game,” Ulliac said. “You can develop a lot and connect with the team but get to watch the game from a perspective more similar to a coach than a player. It entirely changed my game for the better.”

After success in her first two seasons with Division II Adelphi University, where she was named NE-10 Conference Goalkeeper of the Year and a First Team All-Conference player in 2015, Ulliac transferred to Division I Western Kentucky University in early 2017 and spent the season as a redshirt there to comply with NCAA rules regarding transfers.

With a strong 2018 preseason with WKU under her belt, having played 201 minutes across three games where she allowed only three goals, the upcoming season looked bright for Ulliac.

That was until she tore her ACL.

In her first competitive game with the WKU Lady Toppers, Ulliac was on the receiving end of a bad tackle in the first minute and was substituted off only eight minutes into the game, before being later diagnosed with an ACL tear.

The incident was a disappointing setback in a promising career.

~~~

Ulliac played community soccer in her hometown of Edmonton until Grade 11 when she started her club career.

“I played for countless women’s teams as a youth trialist player to gain as much experience as possible,” she said. “One season, I played at least one game for four of the five indoor AMSL [Alberta Major Soccer League] women’s teams.”

Starting her career in the AMSL in 2015 with the Red Deer Renegades, Ulliac was successful early on as she was named a league all-star in her first season.

After her strong performances in her first season in both the AMSL and NCAA, the goalkeeper moved to the New England Mutiny for the inaugural 2016 season of United Women’s Soccer where she was the youngest starting goalkeeper in the league and made 67 saves over 16 appearances with the club in her two years there.

“I had a great experience with teammates such as Allyson and Chantelle Swaby, who just helped Jamaica qualify for the women’s World Cup for the first time, and a fantastic coach,” Ulliac said.

Upon returning to the AMSL in the summer of 2018, Ulliac rejoined Edmonton Victoria SC after having played for their reserve and youth teams before attending university.

Ulliac considers playing for Victoria SC, one of Canada’s most successful women’s amateur teams with seven Jubilee Trophy titles, and in the AMSL, to be one of her ‘greatest experiences’ in soccer.

“I’ve never been a part of another team whose main strength, despite having such incredible talent, is how strongly they play for each other and for their coach,” she said.

“In my opinion, [the] women’s AMSL is one of the most underrated leagues in the world due to the unbelievably skilled players and exciting style of play, but [also] the lack of coverage and recognition they face,” she added.

However, despite playing for historic teams and her many accomplishments and accolades, one of Ulliac’s best soccer memories came on a backpacking trip in Morocco last year.

“I brought my cleats and gloves and ended up playing a couple scrimmages with a men’s team as well as kicking a ball around in the street with some kids,” she said. “I was the first girl that some of them had seen playing soccer! I’m constantly in awe of how soccer can transcend anything and bring people together.”

~~~

Looking towards coming back from her injury, Ulliac aims to finish her NCAA career as ‘strongly as possible’ and has made every decision with her goal of playing professional soccer in mind.

Although she still has one or two years of NCAA eligibility left due to her two years as a redshirt, she is graduating from her current program this month with a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Psychology and has ambitions outside of just professional soccer.

“I’m involved in cross-cultural psychology research, as well,” she said. “I would love to combine those two fields and use them in an applied capacity to study sport across cultures as a medium for creating impactful change for women and girls.”

Looking short-term, Ulliac is planning to recover from her ACL tear in May in time for the summer season where she’s considering returning to Edmonton Victoria SC again or moving to British Columbia to play in the Women’s Premier Soccer League for TSS Rovers in Vancouver or the upcoming EPIC Sport Management expansion team in Victoria.

With an eye on the future, she also has hopes of playing professional soccer in front of her hometown fans in Edmonton.

“I’m a huge Edmonton Oilers fan so one of my biggest dreams is to play for my hometown team as a professional athlete,” Ulliac said. “I have a giant Canadian flag hanging on my wall in Kentucky and I would jump at the chance to play in a professional Canadian league. With the creation of the men’s CPL this year, I’m very hopeful that will be possible for female soccer players in the near future!”

She even has a sale’s pitch for the league already.

“The style of play of top Canadian women’s club teams if often more exciting than many national teams because of the added grit and the players not being afraid to try out those crazy Neymar moves. I think that makes for a fantastic sporting product that would absolutely appeal to Canadians – if more could see or hear about it.”

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Jacob Noseworthy jacobnoseworthy@outlook.com Jacob is a 21-year-old political science major at the University of Victoria, but he is also setting his sights towards a minor in journalism. He joined Northern Starting Eleven to combine his passions of soccer and journalism and to help promote and grow the sport in Canada. NSXI gives him the opportunity to refine and grow his writing skills, while also growing his love of the beautiful game. When he’s not studying, Jacob can usually be found watching soccer, whether he is supporting Vancouver Whitecaps FC from across the Georgia Strait or at Centennial Stadium cheering on the UVic Vikes.

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