Soccer tribute
The inaugural Erica Cadieux memorial game took place last Sunday at Loyola field in honour of the late Stingers women’s soccer mid-fielder/defender, who played in 1992 and 1993.
Cadieux, a 34-year-old mother of two, was killed last January when an SUV jumped a curb near her home in Beaconsfield. She was pushing her 18-month-old daughter, Bianca, in her stroller on the sidewalk.
“[Cadieux] was full of spirit in everything she did,” said Rhonda Baptiste, a former teammate and good friend who was one of the event organizers.
A group of about 10 members of the mid-’90s Stingers kept in touch over the years despite moving around the continent. They came together in Montreal for the memorial game.
“These were good times at Concordia, and for us, her passing was a great loss,” said Baptiste, who graduated from the political science program in 1995 and now works as a teacher in Dorval. “We wanted to honour her in some way.”
The event was also a fundraiser for the Montreal Children’s Hospital. Volunteers collected money and teddy bears from spectators. Bianca had not been badly hurt by the accident, but was cared for at the Children’s Hospital while Cadieux fought for her life at the General.
“It remains dear to our heart what [the Children’s Hospital] was able to do. You see Bianca right there, running around on the soccer field,” said Carlo Spadafora just after the game, which McGill won.
Spadafora married Cadieux in August 2002, three years after they met at law school at the University of Ottawa. He now cares for their daughters Bianca, now 2, and Olivia, who just turned 1.
“The staff was just amazing. We were obviously all with Erica, but of course, our minds were at the same time with Bianca. They took care of her, and there were people who stayed long beyond their shift to stay with her.
Spadafora added that the number of people who turned out on Sunday was a testament to the friendly person Cadieux was.
“It’s something positive when something so negative has happened.
“The memorial game was to recognize Erica, but it also recognizes the things that she stood for: friendship in soccer, sport and competition, camaraderie, and above all, giving back to your community, which is something she did even in her short life.”
Diane Lauzon, the Beaconsfield woman who hit Cadieux, awaits trial on charges of dangerous driving causing death. According to media reports at the time of the accident, police said that Lauzon had likely fallen asleep at the wheel.
Former Concordia women’s soccer players who would like to get involved in future years or take part in the alumni game can e-mail wsalumni@alcor.concordia.ca.