The Golden Girl

Seneca Polytechnic’s women’s soccer team captain, Carley Uddenberg, controls the play in the provincial finals against rival school, Humber College.

Uddenberg began playing soccer at the age of six. Temporarily losing interest, she moved her talents and agility to the dance floor. In high school, she decided to give soccer another shot, and she’s been shooting on the net ever since.

Proudly wearing the captain’s armband for three years, Uddenberg takes pride in being the first female captain to lead not just Seneca, but any Ontario college women’s soccer team to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association's championship game and title win. “It means a lot to be able to take on that role and to help my team, my coaches, anyone that comes to support us,” she says.

Uddenberg is all about having a truly influential impact on and off the pitch. She's established an environment where her teammates can depend on her for support. She says her main goal is to share her wisdom with other players and help them mature alongside her.

Uddenberg’s coach, Sarah Donato, has been her inspiration since the day she began playing soccer for Seneca. Coach Donato was also a Seneca captain and considers Uddenberg her protégé. Coach Donato says, “She's much more confident in the way she carries herself, the way she plays, and the way she communicates as well.”

Carley Uddenberg says, “Soccer is my home away from home.”

When Carley Uddenberg stepped onto the pitch for the first time at the age of six, she didn’t envision a future in it. Dancing was her passion until high school hit. It was there, she traded her ballet slippers for soccer cleats.

Seneca saw something truly special in Uddenberg’s skillset and recruited her as their starting centre-back. After two years, she was given the honour and responsibility of leading the team as captain. The only thing left to accomplish was a championship.

As the playoffs approached, Uddenberg knew the challenges ahead were fierce, but she continued to preach that nothing was too big for her group to tackle. No matter how many critics counted them out, Uddenberg and her team planned to rewrite history.

They finished the regular season on top of the standings. Entering the playoffs, Seneca continued to be overlooked until they captured the provincial championship title.

Next up, the National Championship hosted by Holland College in Prince Edward Island. It was the Seneca Sting’s unbridled determination that let them run away with a gold medal, entering their names in the history books as the first women’s team from Ontario to take home a national title.

Uddenberg took the team indoors in search of something new, a triple gold season, something never done in the history of Seneca Sting varsity sports… until now!