The Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team has added some new talent at midfield this offseason in Dante Cobisa.
The Ottawa native is a product of the Ottawa Fury FC academy and Ottawa South United (OSU) respectively, giving him plenty of local experience, but he also boasts strong experience at the international level.
In addition to playing with Team Ontario at the U15 and U16 levels, he’s played with the Dallas Texans soccer club, winning the Tivoli and Dana Cup in Denmark.
He comes to the Ravens as a highly-touted recruit who was the only male player in Ottawa to be named to the U15 squad.
Carleton head coach Sandy Mackie describes him as a promising young player “who can bring some inventiveness to the midfield, and partnering with returning midfielders will make us more of a threat going forward.”
But now at age 18, Cobisa has joined the Ravens to help mend a squad looking to improve on a disappointing early playoff exit in 2014.
“I think they’re excited for the year coming up,” Cobisa said. “They’re trying to do a lot better than last year, and they believe we can do that. I believe that too. I’m confident the team will do well.”
After training with the Ravens throughout the spring and summer, Cobisa said the university level is a lot different to what he’s used to, even though he hasn’t played a regular match yet.
“Coming into it first-year, I know it’s going to be physically demanding for me, so that’s probably something I’m going to have to work on,” he said. “That’s all the guys talk about—the fitness is a big deal.”
The first match of the season will be Aug. 30 at Carleton against Queen’s Golden Gaels.
