SARNIA – The 2023 season can’t come soon enough.

Defender Darlene Forbes has officially announced her commitment to Head Coach Kevin Simmonds and the Lambton Women’s Soccer Program for the 2023 season, which gets underway in September.

Forbes is the fourth commitment for the Lions ahead of the 2023 season. She joins Lauren Goldsack (London, Ont.), Maddy Forte (Sarnia, Ont.), and Charlize Wildschut (Sarnia, Ont.) in the 2023 recruiting class for Simmonds and his coaching staff.

“I’m excited to play at the next level,” said Forbes. “I’m looking forward to the overall experience, and I’m looking forward to seeing how I can play at this level versus how I’ve played at other levels.”

Growing up in Sarnia, Forbes is no stranger to both Lambton College and the soccer community across Sarnia-Lambton. Forbes will come to Lambton College from Northern Collegiate Institute & Vocational School, and will rejoin Wildschut on the turf, only this time it’ll be in a Lambton uniform.

Darlene’s mother, Annette Forbes, currently teaches English at Lambton College, so things will become a family affair for the Forbes family.

Academically, Forbes will be enrolled in the Liberal Studies program.

For Simmonds, the addition of a player like Forbes on the back end helps to bolster their defensive rotation.

“Darlene is a defender who is disciplined in her approach to the game,” said Simmonds on his latest recruit. “She’s a player who wants to improve with every opportunity.”

“Darlene brings enthusiasm with her passion to playing the game of soccer.”

When asked about what fans of the Lions can expect to see from her on the field, Forbes was quick to offer up similar words to what Simmonds had said about her game.

“They can expect a good game out of me,” added Forbes. “Since I usually play defense, they can expect to see some good blocking and slide tackles, and some good passing to get things moving the other direction.”

The Lions are coming off a rebuilding year in 2022. With several newcomers put into key roles from the outset of the season, they had to adjust to the collegiate came on the fly and getting their feet set underneath them posed to be a challenge.

Heading into the 2023 season, Simmonds and the Lions will be looking to use that gained experience from last season to their advantage. With the addition of Forbes to the back line, helping to fortify the defensive presence for the Lions, the group is building towards an exciting future that will get underway in September.

Welcome to The Den, Darlene!