2011 BMO Canadian Players of the Year – Female Nominees

These are the 2011 BMO Canadian Players of the Year – Female Nominees: Candace Chapman In making 19 appearances for Canada during 2011, Candace Chapman […]

These are the 2011 BMO Canadian Players of the Year – Female Nominees:

	Candace Chapman In making 19 appearances for Canada during 2011, Candace Chapman provided leadership, composure and presence on the Canadian back line. She helped Canada finish first at both the Cyprus Women’s Cup in March and the Pan American Games in October. She was the only player to play in every minute of both of those victories. In March, she provided the assist on the go-ahead goal by Brittany Timko in an important 2:0 victory over England. In June, she participated in her second FIFA Women’s World Cup. In August, she won her second Women’s Professional Soccer championship final, this time as club champions with the Western New York Flash. She provided an assist on the opening goal of the final.
	Christina Julien Striker Christina Julien again scored four goals at the international level, this year ranked second amongst all Canadian players. She made 20 appearances for her country, including two at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany. She also helped Canada finish first at both the Cyprus Women’s Cup in March and the Pan American Games in October. Two of her four goals were scored at the Pan American Games in October. With her club Ottawa Fury, she reached the W-League championship final.
	Kaylyn Kyle Kaylyn Kyle made a career-high 23 appearances for Canada in 2011, in fact the second-most appearances ever made by a Canadian player in a single year. She started 21 of those 23 matches, including all three matches at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011. Canada’s midfielder also helped Canada finish first at both the Cyprus Women’s Cup in March and the Pan American Games in October. In July with her club Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Kyle helped her team reach the W-League semi-final stage.
	Karina LeBlanc In the year that she made her 95th international appearance, goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc made her usual strong contribution for Canada. Taking part in 12 matches, LeBlanc was a key figure in Canada’s gold-medal success at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara. Her heroics against Brazil – including two saves on kicks from the penalty mark – ensured that Canada were crowned champions of the tournament. Also in 2011, LeBlanc helped her Women’s Professional Soccer side magicJack reach the WPS semi-final stage.
	Diana Matheson Diana Matheson was again a central figure in the Canadian midfield in 2011 as she played in a career-high 21 matches for her country. Her season included victories at the Cyprus Women’s Cup in March and the Pan American Games in October as well as participation at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in July. With a consecutive games streak of 25 matches from 2010 to 2011, she became the first player to string together three such 20-plus consecutive game streaks for Canada (45, 24 and 25 matches). In the Pan American Games final, she assisted on Christine Sinclair’s game-tying goal in the 87th minute.
	Kelly Parker Kelly Parker featured in more Canadian matches than ever before in 2011. Parker’s creativity in midfield was often the spark for Canada’s attacking play and her strong displays have been rewarded. After recovering from an injury that kept her out for much of the early part of the season, she made her FIFA Women’s World Cup against Germany in June. Then new head coach John Herdman gave Parker the chance to make five appearances during his brief time at the helm, including a key appearance in Canada’s 2:1 victory over Sweden. At the club level, Parker played for both expansion Western New York Flash and second-year club Atlanta Beat.
	Sophie Schmidt Sophie Schmidt was the lone player to appear in all 24 of Canada’s international “A” matches this 2011 season, thus setting the national record for matches in a season. She was a workforce in the midfield, also leading the team with 1,944 minutes on the international scene. In March and October, she helped Canada finish first at the Cyprus Women’s Cup and Pan American Games. In June and July, she participated in her second FIFA Women’s World Cup. In the summer, she helped MagicJack reach the Women’s Professional Soccer semi-final.
	Christine Sinclair Christine Sinclair won the praise and admiration of a nation when she played through a broken nose and scored a memorable free kick goal against Germany. In the Pan American Games final, she scored a crucial late equalizer against Brazil en route to a gold medal. With her club, Sinclair led WPS in assists for the second year in a row. In a memorable first match back without her protective mask, she scored two goals and an assist in a 3:1 Western New York Flash victory over magicJack. In the championship final, she scored the opening goal and earned MVP honours en route to her second championship title.
	Rhian Wilkinson Rhian Wilkinson was again a mainstay on the Canadian backline in 2011, making 22 appearances including participation in her third FIFA Women’s World Cup in July. She was also part of the Canadian team that finished first at both the Cyprus Women’s Cup in March and the Pan American Games in October. In September’s 1:1 draw with USA, it was Wilkinson that initiated the play with a throw-in that led to Melissa Tancredi’s game-tying goal. In June, she became the eighth player to make her 100th appearance for Canada.