The women’s soccer team representing the Northwest Territories is up against an unusual challenge this week: playing some of the best teams in the country after not even being present at the last Canada Summer Games.
They found out in May their preliminary games would set them up against Quebec and British Columbia, two powerhouse provinces when it comes to soccer.
The team played Quebec on Tuesday and is facing B.C. Wednesday evening.
“It was definitely a shock to the team,” 17-year-old player Giselle Deans said. “Our team definitely tried our best to work on a more defensive game.”
The match-up was, literally, the luck of the draw. The team wasn’t present at the last Summer Games and, therefore, could not be seeded based on its last performance. Across most other sports, Team NT is usually in lower brackets, typically playing against the other territories and maritime provinces, who are still fierce competition for N.W.T. teams.
Aima Tabbaa, 13, will be eligible to play for Team NT again at the next Canada Summer Games in 2029. (Submitted by Team NT)
Though the coaches knew this was a potential outcome, the news still came as a surprise, co-head coach Gina Williams said. It required a different approach to training that went beyond even the physical.
“It’s nerve-wracking, and it’s really tough, mentally, to go into a game and to be on the end of a lopsided score,” she said.
The team mentally, physically and emotionally prepared “so that we could just push through,” she said.
That preparation was called to the fore when the team faced off against Quebec, the silver medallist team of the last Games.
“It was definitely a tough game,” player Aima Tabbaa said. She was one of two 13-year-old players on the starting line-up in the game.
Team NT played a tough game in the rain on Tuesday. (Submitted by Team NT)
Co-head coach Tonya Huck said the coaching team was impressed with their players’ ability to give their full effort the entire game.
Though they were down 7-0 at halftime, they rallied and fought hard enough to fend off any goals for over a half hour in the second half.
“It felt pretty good that we were holding them back,” Deans said.
Quebec only scored three more goals in the second half for a final score of 10-0.
Williams said the game was a testament to the territory’s resilience. “We’ve come a long way for the Northwest Territories and we’ve got a long way to go, but we’re willing to put in the work,” she said.
“Our team definitely grew together and definitely learned from the game,” player Giselle Deans said of the game against Quebec. (Submitted by Team NT)
The Covid-19 pandemic was a setback for women’s soccer in the north, Williams said. Some players quit, and it took time to get back on track.
“We just needed some time to regroup and to reset and rebuild,” she said, adding that it was a factor in the team being absent from the last summer games.
While playing against teams at the level of Quebec and B.C. is a tough challenge, it also provides a learning opportunity, according to Joe Acorn, who runs the Yellowknife Bay Soccer Club.
Deans has said she hopes to keep playing soccer after graduating from high school, and Acorn said playing against “Canadian giants” can provide a glimpse into the skill level in post-secondary soccer.
Acorn believes a number of the girls on the team, many of whom have played in his club for years, have the capability to go on to play soccer in university, he added.
Once the uphill climb of the preliminary games is over, Deans says the team is looking forward to playing against Team Yukon.
“It would be nice to play another territory that can hopefully be kind of like an equal play,” she said.