When local soccer player Allie Hughes-Goyette went to watch the World Cup championship in Vancouver this summer, it solidified her goal.
Hughes-Goyette aims to play on the same stage for Canada鈥檚 national team one day. This month, she found out she was a little closer after she was offered the opportunity to move up to B.C.鈥檚 High-Performance League level for the coming season in early 2016.
Hughes-Goyette recently was invited to try out with the B.C. Soccer Premier League鈥檚 Mountain United team based in Burnaby.
鈥淚 did a couple of practices with them,鈥� she said.
Her mother had contacted Mountain about coming to see her play, but they suggested attending the practice instead. When December came around, the team emailed her to let her know that she had a spot.
Hughes-Goyette started playing the sport at age eight in the 麻豆社国产house league. She also took part in luge when she was younger, but as demands on time grew, she had to choose a sport.
鈥淚 wanted to concentrate on soccer,鈥� she said, although she does take part in track and field, as well as cross-country.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely my favourite sport鈥�. It just sort of came naturally.鈥�
She moved up to the selects league a year early, and this past year, she played on the Metro team in West Vancouver.聽
As far as HPL play in concerned, she expects she will be facing a faster paced game.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e very fast players. They make their decisions quicker than I鈥檓 used to,鈥� she said.
Another change she anticipates is that there are fewer substitutions, meaning players spend more time on the pitch.
Hughes-Goyette, who plays on the wing, describes her strengths as her ability to make clean crosses on the field and to set up her teammates.
At present, she is not sure who her other teammates will be. They will all likely be from the same group from the birth year 2001, although in theory there might be the odd younger player.
As she moves on in her development, she knows she has a few things on which she will have to concentrate. Considering the faster pace, making quicker decisions will be on the to-do list.聽
She also wants to fine-tune her ability to put passes onto a teammate鈥檚 strong foot rather than simply in the general area of the pitch where they are playing. Another skill to work on, she said, is shooting accuracy.
Moving up to a HPL team will also mean travelling a little more, although Hughes-Goyette is confident she can juggle the demands on her time, even while she is on the road with Mountain United.
鈥淚 do a lot of homework in the car on the way there,鈥� she added.
She will be starting with the team in January, which will include an early tournament in Portland, Ore. The regular league schedule runs from February through December.
On its website, BC Soccer describes the High-Performance League as part of the High Performance Program in which top young players in British Columbia are identified and given the opportunity to reach their potential. BC Soccer is the provincial sport governing body responsible for the governance and development of soccer in the province.
