DARPAN SPOTLIGHT
SYAH MANGAT
DRIBBLING TO SUCCESS M
By Naina Grewal
eet Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s midfielder, 18-year-old Syah Mangat, who has just signed with one of the most prominent athletic and academic schools in the world, the University of Michigan. As the only South Asian female to be playing with the Whitecaps, Mangat joined the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite REX program in partnership with BC Soccer after previously playing with Surrey United in the EA SPORTS BC Soccer Premier League. Starting this fall, Mangat will join the Michigan Wolverines, alongside a scholarship to pursue her academic studies.
Born and raised in Surrey, the promising soccer player has been playing the sport since the young age of four. In her early teens, she played in a league known as HPL, High Performance League. When she went on to play on the provincial BC soccer team, the Whitecaps noticed her talent. After having been on trial for a year and a half, she finally made the team in Grade 10. Mangat recalls, “I was on trial for quite a while, and it did get a little hard to wait. I would ask myself if I’d ever even make the team. However, I knew I needed to push myself harder and the hard work paid off.”
“I got into a great university through sports. Sports is just another pathway into school. If you involve your children in activities, they grow to become better people and develop life skills. I made more friends and connections through sports.”
14
JULY | AUGUST 2021
Reflecting The South-Asian Lifestyle
DARPAN
TM
