A passion for soccer is paying off for former Barrie high school grad Orion Wiersma.
Wiersma was named to the 2022 U SPORTS All-Rookie team in his first year of university.
He was one of 12 post-secondary students from across the country who were named to the team. At St. Mary’s University, where he is studying, he was one of two soccer players named to the team. It marks the third season in a row the St. Mary’s Huskies have had a U SPORTS All-Rookie selection.
Head coach Mesut Mert said Wiersma was perfectly slotted in the backline as a first-year centreback and handled the position with a maturity beyond his years.
Wiersma was one of three Huskies players to start all 12 games for his team and played almost every minute of the regular season.
For Wiersma, the recognition was a confidence booster in his playing. He chose St. Mary’s University after meeting with the coach.
“I really liked the style of play — possession-based,” said Wiersma, who describes it as keeping the ball and moving with it as much as possible and preventing the other teams from getting it.
He said he likes his teammates. The Huskies represent a mix of students from all university years. Fewer than six of 24 to 26 players on the team are rookies. While he went into his first year of playing soccer at the university level with few expectations, he found his teammates to be welcoming.
“To be greeted like that was a nice surprise,” he said. “You still have to earn your spot.”
Before leaving Barrie for the East Coast, he played soccer at Bear Creek Secondary School, against Simcoe County public and Catholic school teams, and competed at the provincial level.
“We didn’t win, but it was a big deal that we got there,” he said. “It was fun and a great experience.”
Wiersma started playing soccer when was four years old. He started in Munich, Germany, where his family was living at the time. He remembers watching all the Canadian games. When he moved back here, he became part of a soccer club in Vaughan.
Juggling school work with soccer doesn’t leave a lot of time for fun. He describes his course load as difficult.
Wiersma received a scholarship to St. Mary’s, which was one of several schools to which he applied. He wanted to move away from home but stay in Canada. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather, he chose an electrical engineering program.
On his way to what he hopes will be a professional soccer career, Wiersma entered his name into the Canadian Premier League (CPL) draft late last year. A total of 199 players were entered into the league's annual CPL-U SPORTS Draft, which took place Dec. 15, 2022. It was a long shot as only 16 players were selected, but Wiersma plans to try again in 2023.
He says it's a "good opportunity to get to the next level.
“I don’t know if I will get drafted, but it’s definitely something I am aiming to do," Wiersma added. “My passion has always been soccer. I would love to go pro if there’s an opportunity, but that’s a way down the road.”
