KAMLOOPS – Juli La Rotta made Thompson Rivers University WolfPack women's soccer history Wednesday night when she was named to the U SPORTS All-Rookie Team, becoming the first player in program history to be recognized at a national level.

"It's a great recognition for the program, it shows where we are coming from compared to where we are going to," said WolfPack head coach Mark Pennington. "There's a couple players in the last few years that maybe had a shot at making a U SPORTS team, but for Juli to get this honour in her first year is great. Players know that they can come here and in their first year they are going to get opportunities and that can lead to recognition from across the country."

A first-year winger, La Rotta led the WolfPack in scoring with four goals on the season. That mark placed her first among rookies in the Pacific Division and third in the conference. 

"The way that she picks up the ball and runs at people is great," said Pennington. "She has real purpose to what she's doing, she's tricky and can cut inside and outside. She's naturally right footed but I think most of the goals she scored this year came from her left foot, so it just shows that she's a difficult player to play against. If this is her first year, we are excited to see where she can go in years two through five."

Joining TRU from Calgary, La Rotta made an immediate impact for the 'Pack, starting every game of the season except for two that she was forced to miss due to injury.

"We believed that she had the ability," said Pennington when asked if he envisioned La Rotta's record-setting season. "But the challenge for any first-year player is how quickly they can adapt to the level and speed of play. She hit the ground running, got into it early on in preseason and really showed her quality – she went from strength to strength and really grew some confidence."

Scoring the lone goal in the team's first-ever win over the Trinity Western Spartans, La Rotta's four goals are the most ever by a rookie in the program's Canada West history and tied for fifth-most in a single season by any TRU player.