Simcoe County Rovers FC continue to build for the upcoming 2023 season, their second campaign in League1 Ontario, and have welcomed some new players to the field to push them closer to glory.
The Rovers have announced that forward Samantha Murphy will be heading to the Barrie club after a collegiate career with the University of Memphis.
The Aurora native brings both a scoring touch and fast pace, as well as a vast knowledge of the game because she's also a coach with the Aurora Youth Soccer Club.
In their inaugural year last season, the Rovers women’s team made it to the quarterfinals before losing to FC London.
Meanwhile, the men’s side has added two players with not only top-level Canadian experience, but also international play.
Alejandro Portal and Orlendis Benitez, both of whom are former Cuban national team members, are both coming off stints in the Canadian Premier League (CPL).
Portal played 11 games for the Halifax Wanderers in 2021, while Benitez suited up for the Hamilton Forge for three games.
Both players helped Vaughan Azzurri win the championship in 2022 in a season where the team had no losses
Portal and Orlendis defected to Canada in 2019 after playing in Toronto during the 2019 Gold Cup.
The duo will join a men's squad looking to further their solid first season where the Rovers made it to the semi-finals, losing to eventual winners the Azzurri by one goal.
The League1 pre-season has started for the men’s teams, with the women to follow soon. The season will kick off mid-April and schedules to be announced in the near future. For more information on the team, click here.
