Angela Atkinson, now Downey, was a member of the women’s soccer team at St. Thomas University from 1996-2000.

During her time at STU she was a Team MVP in ’98-99 and an All-ACAA player that same year, before helping the Tommies to their first ACAA women’s title (according to the ACAA historical website).

A graduate with a double major in Criminology and Psychology, Angela now resides in Amherst, NS with her husband Ron and their two children Marah (7) and Jace (5), where she is part of the RCMP.

“Some of my favourite memories were the bus trips with both the men’s and women’s teams. We had a lot of laughs and team bonding,” said Downey. 

She will be the first to say that she may not have been the most skilled player on the STU teams she was a part of, but she was never one to back away from putting in the work needed to be a factor in each of the games.

“One thing I was very proud of was running,” said Downey. “I made sure I never fell behind on our long runs. All my years I pushed to finish the long runs in the top three. I may not have been the most skilled on the field, but I seldom got tired.”

Downey has attributed Facebook in helping her keep in touch with former players, one of them being current Tommies assistant coach Amy Whytewood-Hughes.

“I love that Amy is still involved in STU soccer, so proud of her and happy we are kept in the loop. One of these days I'd love to get out to a game.”