Kodiaks women’s soccer and futsal players Malorie Hanson (Therapeutic Recreation Gerontology), Samantha Demchuck (Nursing), Megan Morrison (Nursing) and Jayna Timinski (Child and Youth Care) were among those who competed for Team Yukon at the 2023 Futsal National Championships in April. The tournament, held at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex in Calgary, brought together teams from across Canada. Team Yukon finished in sixth overall, playing teams from Nunavut, Ontario, B.C. and Manitoba.
Third-year Kodiaks futsal player Malorie Hanson says she’s watched Team Yukon compete from the sidelines for years, and being chosen to play after a tryout process was exciting. “It was incredible, probably one of the best tournaments I’ve ever been to,” says Hanson. “I felt like we played really well. It was exciting to get to a national level event and be competitive.”
Hanson hopes to build on the skills she gained during competition next season with the Kodiaks. “They’ll really help improve my game and hopefully some of my other teammates who were at futsal nationals will also take some things away and just make us more effective players,” adds Hanson. “I also developed my understanding of futsal in general and it just made me excited and motivated to get back to training.”
Kodiaks women’s soccer and futsal head coach Sean Carey says playing at nationals gives the players confidence to grow their game and can help future recruitment to the Kodiaks program. “It’s going to take our program to another level when we’ve got these players playing at that level and playing against some of the best players in all of Canada,” says Carey. “It helps build what we’re trying to build here and we’ve been so close with futsal to get to that gold metal and hopefully that’s just another step forward for us.”
