After playing soccer at three U.S. universities and playing professionally in Iceland, Leah Pais wanted to return home.
AFC Toronto happily accepted and the 22-year-old midfielder/forward from Mississauga became the new Northern Super League franchise’s second signing, following former Vaughan Azzurri team-mate Jade Kovacevic.
“I missed birthdays, I missed Thanksgiving, I missed Easter, and every time I came home, my grandparents looked a little older, my mom and dad had gray hair, even my dog,” Pais said in an interview. “Losing memories is not easy for people.
“So when I came home and heard that I had the chance to play in front of everyone again, still have girls’ nights out, sleepovers, or watch my best friend get promoted to her dream job.” “It was an ideal situation for me and I was very happy to come home and play.”
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Pais, whose name is pronounced Pace, was also pictured as the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ for the new league.
“Here in Canada we have leagues where women can prepare and pave the way for the young girls of tomorrow. The next generation now has someone to look for and goals to reach.”
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Pais’ resume includes winning an NCAA title at Florida State last December and helping lead the top-ranked Seminoles to a 5-1 victory over No. 2 Stanford in the National Collegiate Championship game.
She began her collegiate career at the University of New York at Albany in 2017, where she led the Great Danes in goals (five) and was named America East Rookie of the Year.
When her coach moved to Temple, she decided to enter the transfer portal to see if she could attract any attention and jumped at the scholarship offer from the University of Pittsburgh and the opportunity to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
She played at Pitt from 2020 to 2022, earning All-ACC Academic Team honors, and hoped to play her final year there. But Pitt couldn’t help with a scholarship, so he contacted a list of top schools. Perennial powerhouse Florida State University was among those interested.
“It’s been a whirlwind, but honestly I wouldn’t change it for the world, because I’ve gone to bigger and better places every time,” Pais said. “And I learned a lot from that experience, both professionally and personally.”
Pais began playing soccer at the age of 5 or 6, encouraged by his older brother Brandon, who was coached by their father. From the age of 14 to 16, she participated in Ontario youth teams.
Pais earned League One Ontario first-team All-Star honors alongside Vaughan in 2019 (where he was named Young Player of the Year) and 2023.
The 2023 season was the season in which she teamed with Kovacevic.
“Our chemistry was right,” Pais enthuses.
“We’re going to have a great time on the field (at AFC Toronto),” she added. “Now that we can play professionally together in front of so many fans at home, it’s a dream come true.”
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The six-team NSL begins in April with teams from Toronto as well as Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.
Pies has played anywhere from fullback to striker, but expects him to play as an attacking midfielder or winger for Toronto.
“I’m comfortable anywhere in the top five,” she said.
During her college career, she also excelled at making an impact off the bench. At Florida State, she scored two goals and added eight assists in 867 minutes, appearing in 22 games with three starts.
After university, Pais received offers from clubs in Brazil, Hungary, Mexico, Portugal and Sweden, but chose Iceland and Throttur Reykjavik FC, where he arrived in February. She spent eight months in Iceland, and got a good feel for the destination when she saw the Northern Lights from a plane.
“From then on I said this would never be normal,” she said.
She had a great time on and off the field, playing against Canadian veteran goalkeeper Erin McLeod, who had her best performance of the league meeting.
“She’s an amazing goalkeeper and made some incredible saves in that game. She stopped me,” Pais said. “It was really fun to play against a superstar like that.”
Pais earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in criminal justice from Pitt.
“Lea’s path so far speaks volumes about the kind of player she is,” Toronto coach Marko Milanovic said in a statement. “She is determined, competitive and has a never-die attitude. Leah is already envisioning what kind of athlete she wants to be – a determined competitor who will do whatever it takes to win.”
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