Caleigh Peden: October's Zueike Female Athlete of the Month
Congratulations to Caleigh Peden of Blazers Women's Soccer on being selected the CMU Zueike Female Athlete of the Month for October. The veteran defender and team captain held down the Blazers' backline all season.
A transfer to the Blazers last season, the Maple Ridge, BC product made an immediate impact on her new squad, leading to her to being named team captain ahead of the outdoor season, which has just recently finished. Peden took the role proudly and has led by example all season, growing her game alonside her teammates and was an instrumental part of the Blazers' third place finish in the MCAC standings.
As part of the Blazers' backline of defenders, the league's offensive stats don't really tell the whole story of Peden's play, though she did tally a goal earlier in the season, helping lift her team to a win over the Assiniboine Community College Cougars. Blazers co-head coaches Lianna Bestvater and Cara Isaak weighed in on the impact that their fifth-year defender has had, stating "Cal has displayed tremendous leadership this season and for the month of October she was also one of the most impactful players in each game. We asked her to be more offensive minded, look further in her distribution, and to be brave in joining the attack and she worked hard to implement these ideas in her play. Cal also battled hard against the league's best strikers this month, and was instrumental in securing us a playoff spot. Her teammates all have huge respect for her and we've been so impressed with with her positive attitude, inclusivity, and instincts to always put the team's needs first."
With MCAC Soccer Championships now finished, the team will take a short break from training before starting up again later in the month in order to prepare for the first futsal weekend tournament scheduled for January 14th hosted on the women's side here at CMU's Loewen Athletic Centre.