Fraser Valley/Toronto (with files from Canadian Press) – Abbotsford’s Sophie Schmidt, Chilliwack’s Jordyn Huitema, and the rest of Canada’s Women’s Olympic Soccer Team, were named the CP 2021 Canadian Team of the Year.
Julia Grosso’s goal in penalty kicks lifted Canada to a 1-1 shootout victory over Sweden in the Tokyo Games final this past summer.
Manager Bev Priestman said that placing third in London (2012) and then again at the 2016 Rio Olympics fuelled her squad to push harder for gold.
Priestman said that her team’s success in 2021 was thanks to the right mix of young and old players, all united in their passion to reach the next level and inspire a new generation of players.
Sports editors, writers and broadcasters from across Canada vote on the award. The women’s soccer team won this year’s award in a landslide, taking 38 of 44 possible votes.
Canada’s Olympic women’s swim team was second with three votes, followed by the women’s national hockey team, the men’s national soccer team, and the Montreal Canadiens who had one vote each.
Huitema returned to Chilliwack after the Tokyo Games to a hero’s welcome at Exhibition Stadium.
