Gillian Baggott named CIS Women's Soccer Player of the Year

In a year that saw Canadian women’s soccer come into its own, with Christine Sinclair scoring a hat trick against Hope Solo and the Canadian team winning a bronze medal at the London Summer Games, Gillian Baggott is part of the next chapter in a feel good year.

Baggott received the Chantal Navert Memorial Award, given to the Most Outstanding Women’s Soccer Player of Canadian Interuniversity Sport. Competing for the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, she accepted the award at a banquet prior to the beginning of the CIS National Championships in Victoria.

Baggott becomes the first Gee Gees player to claim the award since Noel Trepanier did so in 2000. The Gee Gees will attempt to win the Gladys Bean Memorial Trophy, awarded to the CIS National Champion, on Sunday, November 11, 2012. It would be their first title since 1996. In addition, she was named to the CIS First Team All-Stars, with teammate Christine Hardie being named to the Second Team.

Prior to playing in the CIS, Baggott competed at the NCAA level with the Florida Atlantic University Owls in 2007. In her first season at FAU, she earned a starting position as a true freshman and helped the squad post nine shutouts. Her first NCAA goal was in a November 2, 2007 victory over San Diego State, a game which FAU won 1-0. She would start in 18 of 19 contests for the Owls.  

Other soccer accomplishments included serving as a member of the Canadian soccer team that participated at the 2011 Summer Universiade Games in China. Baggott scored 2 goals in a fifth place finish for Canada. In addition, she was a member of the Ottawa Fury of the North American W-League, as she helped the Fury capture the league championship in the summer of 2012.

Playing on defense, she helped the Gee Gees allow a remarkable 1 goal in 19 regular season games. Majoring in communications, she would contribute with 6 goals of her own, as the Gee Gees claimed the Ontario University Athletics conference title (their first since 2006). The Gee Gees scored 57 goals and won 17 matches while tying 2.