The 1v1 Futbol Dreams Academy’s U-15 women’s team had one more thing to give thanks for on Monday.
The Winnipeg-based soccer club captured Canada Soccer’s 2022 national championship on Thanksgiving Day in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
A 2-0 blank over the hosting PEI FC U-15 Charlottetown at the University of Prince Edward Island capped a dominant five-day run for the squad. 1v1 Futbol finished the tournament undefeated (5-0) while outscoring their opposition 18-4.
“It was just surreal,” said captain Kate Paukovic.
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The 1v1 Futbol Dreams Academy’s U-15 women’s team captured Canada Soccer’s 2022 national championship on Thanksgiving Day in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
“There was 30 seconds left on the clock and I looked up and every emotion started hitting me, but we had to keep going. And then when that final whistle blew, we all burst into tears. Everyone ran to each other, and it was just amazing. It’s just all of our hard work has paid off and everything we’ve overcome, it’s just amazing.”
1v1 Futbol earned the right to represent Winnipeg in the Maritimes after winning the 2022 Youth Manitoba Soccer Association Cup earlier this summer. Their final match against the hosts proved to be their toughest of the tournament as the crowd was resoundingly against them.
“It was just the fact that we were kind of the underdogs coming in and that this is their hometown,” Paukovic said. “Any time they would make a good play, the crowd would just erupt for them, right? I think it really helped us fight back when we would get a good tackle and they would kind of quiet down. Our fans are just amazing. They were a smaller group but just as loud if not louder, so I think that was really amazing to hear.”
Paukovic’s status was uncertain entering the tournament. In fact, there was a time earlier this summer when she questioned the next time she’d be able to strap on the boots for a competitive match at all.
The midfielder severely sprained both her ankles to start 2022. In May, while rehabbing her right ankle from the injury that happened in January, she rolled the left one while training. Both her ankles swollen, Paukovic, 15, found herself sidelined for nine months, putting her biggest tournament of the year in jeopardy.
As luck would have it, after fully working her way back, two weeks before the team was set to head east, Paukovic tweaked her ankle again. This injury proved to be minor, however, allowing the club’s leader to enjoy a full tournament.
Paukovic said she took a moment to reflect on the hardships she had to overcome this year while on the bus ride back to the hotel after sealing the national title.
“For me, it just makes the win that much more special,” she said. “My teammates, they have always supported me through it and I’ve never felt less (important) because of my injuries. They’ve just made it such a great place for me to be and to recover, and they trusted me to get back and to compete and it was just unbelievable. They’ve just amazing.”
The captain credited the team’s commitment to one another over the past three years they’ve played together, saying the support for each other is what made the team special.
“Never in a moment during a game have we ever turned on each other. We’ve always had a positive atmosphere. We expect the best from each other, but we push each other to everyone’s limits,” she said.
“I think that’s really what gave us the win because I think the atmosphere we’ve created has made us be the best we can be.”
Head coach Nano Romero credited the team’s ability to never compromise their playing style and never betray their philosophy throughout the national tournament.
“It’s instilled in them,” said Romero, who capped his first year coaching the U-15 women’s team. “Whether you’re a U-9 player or whether you’re a U-17 player, every team in our program plays the exact same. These girls put it all together at the right time and are a very talented team, which helps the process.”
“I’m just proud of the girls. Just seeing at the end of the game how happy they are, this, hopefully, is the first step in their long careers.”
Romero, who grew up in Winnipeg before enjoying a professional career in Chile, has never won a national championship as a player or coach. It’s safe to say he’ll remember his first for a long time.
“Seeing the growth and for them to play their style and never betraying that style and never betraying our philosophy and winning a national title, I don’t think you can explain the joy we have as owners,” he said.
“There’s some titles that you’re always going to remember but this is by far going to be probably the most important one for me.”
Twitter: @jfreysam
