Bianca Mazzaferro’s sweeper skills stifle Hall Wolfpack opponents on the soccer pitch

Caledon Citizen's Student Athlete of the Week:

By Jim Stewart

Grade 11 Student Athlete Bianca Mazzaferro is an outstanding soccer player who plays a key defensive role on her Junior Girls team.

The Honor Roll student from Robert F. Hall Catholic Secondary School has plans to earn a college scholarship to play NCAA soccer and her level of commitment to her short-term and long-term post-secondary goals is admirable.

Hall Wolfpack Junior Girls' Soccer Coach Christy DiBlasio has seen Mazzaferro's growth as a leader both on and off the soccer pitch.

“Bianca's leadership skills during practice and games, her ability to motivate teammates through words of encouragement and enthusiasm, and her confidence to take risks during crucial moments in games made her a great asset to the Junior Girls' soccer team.”  

What impresses Coach DiBlasio the most about Mazzaferro is her team-first approach and dedication to soccer and her studies:  “I am impressed with Bianca's commitment to team development. During our school season, Bianca also played for her club team in the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL).  The OPDL is a youth high performance league in Ontario which demands a lot of commitment, travel, physical, and mental stressors on the body.  Through our entire season, Bianca never missed a practice or game; she played through exhaustion, injuries, and managed to balance her school work, too.”

Although Coach DiBlasio could not provide us with one specific key performance highlight from the soccer season, she did focus on Mazzaferro's overall performance as the team's most significant defender.

“There is not one key performance moment that I would highlight because Bianca was so consistent in her overall performance. Bianca played sweeper, which is the last player behind the defensive line, and before the goalie. Bianca was our safety net, always there to clear the ball from the opposing team's offense, always there to give strong, accurate passes to her teammates, and always there to win those 50/50 balls. Bianca was our team's constant; she was dependable on and off the field.”

Bianca Mazzaferro took time from her OPDL soccer commitments and Grade 11 school work at Robert F. Hall CSS to reply to our interview questions:

Caledon Citizen: What qualities did you demonstrate in your sports season to earn Student-Athlete of the Week honors?

Bianca Mazzaferro: “I feel that I demonstrated great leadership skills and worked my hardest not only at games, but also at training.” 

Caledon Citizen: What were your key statistics and performance moments from the 2022-23 season that you are most proud of?

Bianca Mazzaferro: “As a center back, I scored two goals. But more importantly I stopped a lot of strikers from passing the defense with the help of my other defenders.”

Caledon Citizen: In addition to your high school sports team(s), what other community teams do you play for and at what level?

Bianca Mazzaferro: “I also play for RUSH U19 League 1 reserve.”

Caledon Citizen: How would you describe yourself as a student at Robert F Hall? 

Bianca Mazzaferro: “I would describe myself as a good student and I achieved Honor Roll.”

Caledon Citizen: What are your post-secondary plans regarding prospective academic/athletic destinations?

Bianca Mazzaferro: “My goal for post-secondary is to get a scholarship to play soccer through university.” 

Caledon Citizen: Who is your role model in terms of the person you admire the most?

Bianca Mazzaferro: “A person that I admire most is Mbappe. I love his style of soccer and I think he is an amazing soccer player.”

Caledon Citizen: How do you feel about being nominated as The Caledon Citizen's Student-Athlete of the Week?

Bianca Mazzaferro: “I feel honored to have been nominated and I am very grateful.”