Key Takeaways:
- A once-in-a-lifetime experience awaits Team Canada players in the Women’s World Football Championships in Vantaa, Finland.
- Betsy Mawdsley, a fellow offensive lineman, claimed that playing with multiple recognizable teammates and rivals while traveling improved the experience.
Team Canada members have a once-in-a-lifetime adventure at the Women’s World Football Championships in Vantaa, Finland.
Last month, Team Canada traveled to Finland with a sizable representation from Saskatchewan. Of the 45 players on the roster, 17 were born in Saskatchewan and many play football for the Saskatoon Valkyries or the Regina Riot.
On Friday, offensive lineman Alyssa Funk commented from the group’s hotel lobby, “I believe it’s a testimonial to how amazing Football Saskatchewan has been.” “I believe that’s where it begins… We are quite fortunate that Saskatchewan women are so well supported.
Not everybody can state the same thing.
Betsy Mawdsley, a fellow offensive lineman, said the journey was made better by playing with numerous familiar teammates and adversaries while traveling. She claimed that once the roster was set, it was simple for players to put aside whatever interprovincial animosity they might have had between Riot and the Valkyries.
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We have each other, we can rely on one other, and you can travel with your favorite people, which is fantastic. One thing the Squad Canada program excels at is making us feel like a single team from the moment we arrive at camp. She declared that you are no longer a part of the Riot or the Valkyries.
Funk has been a part of the group since winning a silver medal in 2017. She struggled to believe the competition was truly taking place after COVID-19 issues delayed or canceled evaluation camps and competitions for two years.
“I believe it took us arriving in Europe for me to realize everything was OK. We get to do this because we’re truly here, she said. “Thankful is the ideal adjective.”
After historically falling to Team USA in the eight-team tournament’s gold medal final, Canada won’t be taking home a silver medal for the first time in the program’s history.
The No. 2 ranked Canadians on Wednesday suffered a significant defeat. With 2 seconds gone on the clock, the No. 6 seed Great Britain outscored the Canadians 20-13 to defeat them and advance to play the United States for the gold medal. The bronze medal game will take place on Sunday and feature Canada, which has won silver at the previous three world championships.
Canada defeated Australia 33-6 in the first game of their quarterfinal series last Saturday. Despite the challenging setback, Team Canada rookie Emmarae Dale said she is trying her best to remain grounded and enjoy the experience.
“Simply live in the now. Keep in mind that all we do is play the sport we love, perform our jobs, and play our game. However, she added that it is somewhat surreal to realize that we are no longer in Kansas.
Funk knows that Sunday’s game will be challenging because the home crowd is prepared to make it so.
They’ll be quite noisy. They must be starving. They desire a victory at home. So I believe they will be revealed. They’re going to attack quickly. The game is going to be terrific, she said.
Source: CTV News
