Fanshawe’s own Nicolas Jimenez was named the OCAA Star Athlete of the Week on Sept. 10 after a victory over Niagara College. The second-year midfielder entered the match with one OCAA career goal from last season. He has already scored four goals in just four games and is tied at the top of the early OCAA leaderboard with five others.

Jimenez grew up playing soccer here in London. As his whole family loves the sport, it’s no wonder he’s kept it up all these years. Through his progression, Jimenez has looked at some of the biggest players for motivation. Messi and Ronaldo have both inspired him to keep getting better and become the player that he is today.

Not only has Jimenez been named Athlete of the Week, but the entire Fanshawe men’s soccer team recently held the number one rank by the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association. After a loss on Sept. 21, they no longer hold the top spot, but some of Jimenez’s success can be attributed to the substantial support he has gotten from his teammates. He said that one thing their team has is the right mindset.

“When things don’t work out in our favour, we’re able to push each other to get back on track and move onto what’s ahead of us. We’re a very stable team,” said Jimenez.

The men’s soccer team had jumped from the third-ranked national team to the first in just a few weeks. Fanshawe had not been ranked that high since their coaches, Rob Pereira and Walter Picano, played back in the early 2000s. The team is less than halfway through their season and are currently sitting at a 3-0-1 record. Jimenez and the Fanshawe Falcons have had a tremendous start to the season and are excited to see what more they can accomplish this year.