Mikayla Tupper is used to going up against bigger, older and more experienced players, but never players of the opposite gender.
But Tupper showed she belonged, surviving the tryout process to beat out hundreds of other players and landing a spot on the Danone Nations Cup Western Canada team.
Only 11 players made the unisex team and Tupper is one of two girls to make the final cut.
“I was nervous,” admitted Tupper.
“The tryout was with boys and I needed to be more physical and think faster.”
Tupper also tried out for the team last year and gained valuable experience which helped her land a spot this time around.
The 12-year-old plays forward and outside midfielder for the U13 Surrey United SC girls squad in the B.C. High Performance Soccer League this past season.
“At first, I was scared that none of the guys were going to pass to me because I was a girl,” Tupper said.
“But I ended up getting the ball a lot and scoring three goals in the tryouts. I felt pretty confident after that.”
As part of the Western Canada team, Tupper left for Montreal this week in preparation for the Danone Nations Cup.
Her team will play a team from Eastern Canada in Montreal on Saturday (June 27) at Molson Stadium. The winner of the match will represent Canada this fall at the Danone Nations Cup in Morocco.
This is the 15th year of the tournament and Danone covers all of the costs associated with the tournament.
The Cup is the world’s biggest football tournament for players ages 10 to 12 and has teams from 32 countries competing. It will be held in October.
“This is the biggest opportunity I have had so far with my soccer,” Tupper said, adding that she was excited for the experience.
The tryout process began back in September at regional camps across the country with about 5,000 players attending altogether.
From there, provincial camps were held in B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.
Players who survived the next stage then attended a final camp in May with the rosters announced a week later.
“During the Danone Nations Cup selection process, I never cease to be amazed by the high standard of soccer shown by the young players,” said Dean Howie, the head coach of Team Canada for the Danone Nations Cup since 2001.
“The DNC is a very special competition, both for the players taking part and for the Canadian public who are given a unique opportunity to see Canada’s soccer stars of tomorrow in action.”
Tupper has played soccer since she was four years old and has played at a higher age group for the past two years.
She also plays softball for the Surrey Storm and this year competed in volleyball, basketball and track and field at the school level and is going into Grade 7 at James Kennedy Elementary in the fall.
