Electric City Football Club Adds Three Players To Finalize the Woman's Roster Including a Hometown Player

The Electric City Football Club (ECFC) have added Abby Hunt, Mariah Shaw and Madicynn Harnish to round out their women’s team announced on Wednesday.

(From left to right) Abby Hunt, Madicynn Harnish, Mariah Shaw are the final signings of the women’s team but were not part of the roster on the team’s first match. The women’s team won their inaugural match against Alliance United 2-1 on Sunday. Photo courtesy of ECFC.

27-Year-old Abby Hunt, from Cheshire, England joins ECFC after most recently playing with Football Club United of Manchester. The former Stoke City midfielder grew up playing for Everton Football Club Centre of Excellence and featured for their reserve team before moving on to Bradford City and Stoke City.

“Abby is a great addition into our team for this season. She brings in a lot of experience playing at the next level in England,” said Randy Ribeiro, ECFC Women’s head coach. “We will look for her to bring a level of maturity and composure into our team combined with her leadership skills both on and off the pitch. She is a technical, box-to-box midfielder that possesses strong ability on both sides of the ball.”

Hunt spent three years as a U Sport Student-Athlete playing for the University of Windsor Lancers.

“As soon as I spoke to Coach Randy, I knew that ECFC was an organization that I wanted to be a part of. His enthusiasm and the Club’s ambitions for female footballers are what made me truly believe that this is the right decision for me and my career.” Hunt explained, “Fans will see a committed, determined and attacking-minded style of football from me alongside an understanding of defensive responsibilities and hard work.”

Trent Excalibur player Mariah Shaw is a Peterborough native and earned her spot on the roster through attending the open tryouts and impressing at training camp. The 19-year-old grew up playing in Northumberland before moving on and playing for Darlington Soccer Club.

“Mariah is a player that attended our open tryouts and was a player that stood out immediately. She brings a lot of energy into the team and is a pleasure to work with,” said Ribeiro. “She is a versatile player that I can see playing in a number of roles for us throughout the season. She is a fantastic addition to our team this season and we are really excited to watch Mariah grow and develop in our environment.”

During her time with Darlington, she was a consistent call-up to League 1 side Darby FC and was later signed to the team in 2021.

“I joined ECFC because I wanted to take my game to the next level and I knew as soon as I started following the ECFC franchise that this club was going to be something special,” said Shaw. “I never want to feel comfortable with my skill level. Knowing I have the opportunity to be coached by someone that has been successful in League 1 was something I simply could not pass up.”

Acadia University captain, Madicynn Harnish. The 23-year-old was a U Sport standout and Atlantic University Sport All-Star this past season. The Lower Sackville, NS native played and started in all 12 matches for Acadia University leading the team along with another ECFC signing Lauren Jodrey to an AUS Championship.

“Madicynn is another top player that we have brought into our program here at ECFC. She is a technically gifted midfielder that is always looking to get on the ball,” said Ribeiro. “Her ability to dictate the tempo of a match is what really attracted us to sign Madicynn for this season and we are excited to see what she can bring to our club.”

Harnish originally committed to Jacksonville University in NCAA Division 1 in 2017 and was selected to the ASUN Division 1 All-Freshman team.

“Being part of Electric City FC means levelling up and playing with and against some of the best players in Canada,” said Harnish. “To be part of a new franchise that is working so hard and doing so much to grow recognition for women's soccer in Canada is really special to me.”

Both teams have pair of road matches begninng Saturday with the Women travelling to play Pickering at 6 p.m. and the Men playing North Toronto Nitros at 8 p.m.

ECFC’s home openers on May 7 for the Men and May 14 for the women at Fleming College.

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