My City May 2023

MYSPORTS

LAST YEAR, FLINT CITY AFC HAD A COLLECTION

OF GOOD PLAYERS, BUT THIS

RETURNING MIDFIELDER, FENTON'S MADI CANADA, MADE THE MAC ALL-FRESHMAN

TEAM LAST SEASON. PHOTO COURTESY OF WMU ATHLETICS

YEAR WE'LL BE MORE OF A TEAM." COACH MICHELLE KRZISNIK

help them continue their development," Landefeld says. "We are excited about helping (team president) Costa Papista and (co-owner) Eddie Hudson continue moving the organization forward from the ground floor to the pinnacle of success." In all, 13 players who spent at least one game with Flint City AFC last season return, including Blackburn, who had three goals and an assist in three games. She has played in 44 games the past three seasons, starting 34, with 11 goals, three game-winners and six assists. "Playing with Flint City AFC last year and representing Flint was such a blast," she says. "The environment the fans created was great. Our experience from playing in the USL W last year and having so many players back will help us be very successful." Madi Canada, a midfielder, made the MAC All-Freshman team last season, starting 17 of 19 games and playing an average of 79 minutes. Landis, a Fenton High School junior and midfielder, plays for the Hawks and was named to the Elite Clubs National League's Midwest

Conference U-16 first team last season. She has committed to Missouri. Other returning college all-confer ence players are forwards Regan Dancer, Abby Werthman (Western Michigan) and Sammi Woods (Michigan), mid fielder Justina Gaynor and goalkeeper Kayla Shuk (Aquinas College). Gaynor made first-team All-Big Ten, the Big Ten All-Tournament team and all-region second team last fall as the Spartans finished 17-3-3, captured a Big Ten title and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. She started all 23 games, finishing with four goals and two assists and contributing to a defense that allowed a mere 0.65 goals per game. Shuk played the most minutes in goal (452 in five games) for Flint City AFC last season as she prepared for her freshman season at NAIA Aquinas. She was named second-team All-Wolverines Hoosier Conference. Other returnees are midfielders Jaden Frigerio (Bowling Green), Celia Gaynor, Olivia Rush (Indiana) and Remini Tillotson (TCU) and forwards Maya Carter (Virginia) and Olivia

Thomas, a high school senior and first team U17 ECNL Midwest pick who is committed to North Carolina. Flint City AFC's other college all-conference picks are University of Miami graduate Shannon Browning (defender), Ball State's Delaney Caldwell (forward) and Wisconsin's Aidan Mc Connell (defender). Browning, the most senior member of the team at 28, will play and coach. The All-Athletic Coast Conference pick was a three-year team captain at Miami, finishing with a goal and eight assists. She then played overseas before joining Detroit City FC. COLLEGE ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYER ABBY WERTHMAN (WMU) IS A RETURNING FORWARD.

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