The New York Knockout extended their undefeated streak to 5-0 on Saturday, overwhelming Mayhem, Maine 14-10. Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) Division III Semi-Pro Tackle Soccer League.
And as the season progresses towards two consecutive bids for the National Championships in July, the quest for one player to win a trip to Canton stands out.
Montreal’s Sicilia “Sici” Dawes, a 39-year-old offensive and defensive lineman, took a spot in the team in the fall of 2019 after a tryout and drove for three and a half hours to practice with the team. But I couldn’t play. Games up to this season. The pandemic canceled the 2020 season and she was unable to return last year due to Canadian border regulations.
“Playing at WFA has always been my dream. It was like I wanted to do. So I worked on staying fit and staying in touch with the team. And now I’m here I have, “she said.
“Sicilian’s commitment to NY knockouts and football matches is great,” head coach Rubats said in an email. “Through COVID and the consequent closure of the Canadian border, she never stopped being part of our team. She effectively attended meetings and coaching sessions and cheered on her teammates from afar. When the border opened, she didn’t skip the beat and returned to the field with the same determination and excitement as in 2019. “
Dawes started playing at Montreal Blitz in 2002 at the age of 19. Blitz played in the Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL), which was founded in 2000. The final season of IWFL was 2018. Many teams, including knockouts, joined the WFA after the IWFL was shut down.
Pioneering executive Sam LapoportCurrently the senior director of the NFL’s Diversity & Inclusion, was the quarterback when Dawes started tackle football in Blitz.
Dawes played hockey, soccer, and growing martial arts. She truly remembers developing her love for football when she played for the men’s team at the age of twelve.
“I always wanted to play soccer in the United States. I wanted to play for an American team,” she said.
Through former coaches and players, she learned about the successful New York knockout program and the family atmosphere created by its ownership. Lou Butts, who coached Siena when the saints had the Division I-AA program, is also the owner of the knockout. His wife, Teresa Petrone Butts, is the owner and general manager. The team is open to any woman over the age of 18.
Dawes’s cross-border commute has created some interesting conversations.
“It was a smooth ride. Some of the border patrols they came to know me about are interesting because I mention women’s football, and they are curious and supportive,” she said. Said.
She maintains a biometric job in weight training.She is also a hiker, working on trails and recommending Mont Saint-HailerMonteregie region in southern Quebec.
“I think I’m in pretty good shape at my age,” she said.
Dawes is a social worker, homeless advocate, agency worker, and working with police in the Montreal region.
“We are helping people recover by helping them regain stability in their lives. We have many people with mental illness who are suffering from drug addiction and alcoholism. Corresponding. When they can’t speak for themselves, it’s sometimes a voice for them, “she said.
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She said the friendship she had established as a member of the knockout made this season a memorable one.
“I have faith. I’m going to get to the canton. Coach, he believes in us, we all believe in each other, and we have what it needs,” she said. Said. “There is a special bond with the New York knockout, it’s like a bond I’ve never seen with other teams. Friendship, positive energy … everyone has their backs on each other.”
Knockout will play the final regular season home game against the Connecticut Hawks at Mohonasen High School in Rotterdam at 5 pm on Saturday.
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