PLAYER PROFILE – In late June, AFC Toronto signed its newest midfielder, Sarah Stratigakis, who signed with her hometown club. The 5’3” Toronto-born midfielder was brought up in Woodbridge, Ontario. She was born on March 7, 1999.
Sarah Stratigakis: Important AFC Toronto Midfielder
Childhood
Sarah Stratigakis started playing soccer at an early age, as she said this (Source: CP24 YouTube Account):
“So, I was seven years old when I started Woodbridge Strikers, so at home.”
Her favourite players growing up included Lionel Messi, Diana Matheson, Ashley Lawrence, Kadeisha Buchanan and her favourite teams are FC Barcelona and the Toronto Blue Jays.
She has had an important career with the Canada U15 and the Canada U17 teams. She scored five goals in six games for the Canada U15 team and also scored three goals in 16 games for the Canada U17 team.
Her maturity at an early age has gotten praise from some notable former Canadian head coaches. One of them is John Herdman, who had this to say about her (Source: Inside FIFA):
“Sarah is a perfect example for the new direction we’ve taken in training and developing our youth,” explained John Herdman, coach of Canada’s women’s national side and director of the country’s youth programme. “We want players for whom we can see a pathway to playing in the senior team. Sarah has that intuition of knowing when to pass and when to run with the ball, and on top of that, she also has technical ability with both feet. That’s why she’s already training with the seniors,” added the Englishman, who has made the long trip to Jordan just to observe Stratigakis and Co.
Michigan Wolverines (2017-21)
She played a big role in her college team from the very beginning, as she was one of only three players to start all 18 matches, while only being a freshman back in 2017. Stratigakis was even second on the team with 11 points, with three goals and five assists.
She was also named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week (Aug. 22) after scoring her goal in each of U-M’s first two games, which included her first-ever goal scored.
In one of those games, she helped her teammate, Alia Martin, score two goals, who had this to say about Stratigakis (Source: Christian Neubacher of The Michigan Daily):
“Sarah is so good on the ball,” Martin said. “I think our chemistry with each other on and off the ball is great.”
Martin was also a player. Stratigakis has good chemistry. In 2018, Martin also assisted in one of Stratigakis’ goals.
In Stratigakis’s sophomore year, she appeared in all 19 matches and started 18 of them. There, Stratigakis scored two game-winners and had two game-winners.
She also took a jump with her level of play in her junior year, scoring three game-winners and leading the team with 26 points, which included seven goals and a team-high 12 assists. To note, the two big accomplishments she achieved included being named to the United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-America and being the first Wolverine to be named the Big Ten Midfielder of the Year.
Then, in 2021, her senior year, she played in nine games and started in eight, which included scoring the game-winning goal at Maryland. Lastly, in her fifth year (Fall 2021), she played 25 games with 24 stars in the U-M midfield. She scored a pair of goals and had five assists. Another notable game included her getting two assists against Purdue on November 4.
Source: Michigan Wolverines Women’s Soccer
Vittsjö GIK (2022-23)
The team that Stratigakis is most known for is Vittsjö GIK. There, she played 52 games and scored eight goals. In particular, she made an impression in her first year there in Sweden, as important members of the Vittsjö GIK said this after the contract extension was approved (Source: OBOS or OBOS DAMALLSVENSKAN):
“Sarah is a very skilled player, difficult to take the ball off and can withstand pressure in a way that few others can. In addition, she can play both on the wing and centrally, which makes her a very important player for us. 2022 was Sarah’s first year in Sweden, and the development in the defensive game was great. With that in place, we can start 2023 with an even greater focus on getting even more out of her offensive qualities,” say Thomas Mårtensson (development coach for the women’s team) and Ulf Kristiansson (head coach of the women’s team).
She was also the 6x Best XI in Sweden’s OBOS Damallsvenskan for Vittsjö GIK, which highlights the skill level Stratigakis has that propelled her to go with Women’s Super League’s Bristol City in England.
Bristol City W.F.C. (2024)
Unfortunately, Stratigakis’ time with Bristol City was short, as she only played six games for the club. The Bristol City Women’s club were also demoted to the Women’s Super League 2, which is the league Bristol City Women’s Football Club remains in today.
Still, playing in the WSL is a hard feat to accomplish, and it will be that experience that AFC will look to potentially unlock with Stratigakis playing in the NSL/SLN.
Also, Stratigakis was happy to have the opportunity at the WSL, as she said this (Source: The Canadian Press):
“Being a newly promoted team is obviously a hard situation, but it was really cool playing against the Man Cities, the Arsenals of the world,” she added. “That was really cool to grow my game.”
She would then play for Saint-Étienne, in the top league of France called the Première Ligue.
She would then play for Saint-Étienne, in the top league of France called the Première Ligue.
AS Saint-Étienne (2024-25)
Stratigakis would then play in France for AS Saint-Étienne, where she noticed the level of the league, which is different than the other leagues she played in (Source: AS Saint-Étienne Website):
“I really appreciate the style and pace of play here. It’s a league that pushes me every day to improve, both physically and in terms of tactics and technique.”
She played 20 games for AS Saint-Étienne and scored one goal before coming back to Canada to play for AFC Toronto in the inaugural season of the NSL/SLN.
READ MORE: Esther Okoronkwo: AFC Toronto’s Leading Goal Scorer
AFC Toronto (2025-Present)
Stratigakis is a player that AFC Toronto Sporting Director, Billy Wilson, has been keeping a close eye on, as he also said this (Source: AFC Toronto Website):
What seems to be a theme with some of the teams she played with in the past is how technical Stratigakis is. Add the maturity that Stratigakis has, especially with playing in Europe, which provides her with an opportunity of a lifetime (Source: AFC Toronto Website):
“I’m hoping that I can be dangerous and just be very entertaining [for AFC Toronto fans] to watch. I love to bring that joy on the field,” said Stratigakis. “I’ve been away from home for many years now, playing in some very competitive leagues, but from watching the NSL and seeing the growth of the league, it’s something I can’t wait to be a part of.”
READ MORE: AFC Toronto and CANWNT Player Profile: Emma Regan
There is a lot to be excited about if one is an AFC Toronto sports fan. Stratigakis will no doubt make an impact on AFC and provide a great partnership with AFC Toronto captain, Emma Regan.
Stratigakis made her debut for AFC Toronto on July 24 at Swangard Stadium against the Vancouver Rise FC.
READ MORE: First-Ever AFC Toronto Forward: Jade Kovacevic Player Profile
CANWNT/CANXNT (2015-Present)
Stratigakis made her debut with the national team at only 17 years old. That game was also the last one for Melissa Tancredi, Rhian Wilkinson, and Marie-Eve Nault, which Stratigakis said was one of her favourite moments as a high-performing soccer player (Source: CP24 YouTube Account).
She scored her first-ever goal for the national team in the 2021 She Believes Cup, as she scored a late game-winner for her national team. The Toronto-born midfielder described what that feeling was like (Source: Canada Soccer X Account):
A player with national team experience with a top-10 team, such as Canada, will help AFC immensely as they are currently at the top of the table in the NSL/SLN.
Games Coming Up For Sarah Stratigakis
Stratigakis will play in an unforgettable game at BMO Field against the Vancouver Rise FC on Sunday, August. 17 at 7:00 pm ET. This game is being dubbed as “AFC at the CNE” by the AFC Toronto X Account.
SheBelieves Cup
21 February 2021 – Orlando, FL, USA
Photo Credit: Canada Soccer’s Flickr Account by Jeremy Reper
