Oakville Beaver, 7 Aug 2014, p. 23

The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

HALTON TRANSMISSION 559 SPEERS RD., #UNIT 3 905-842-0725 www.haltontransmission.com Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports 23 | Thursday, August 7, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" Canadian captain McNicoll upbeat after loss to Ghana White Oaks grad says team will rebound at U-20 World Cup by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor It was a moment Kinley McNicoll could have only dreamed of in the past. The Canadian captain's name was about to be announced to a crowd of nearly 15,000 people Tuesday evening at Toronto's National Soccer Stadium, prior to Canada's FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup opener against Ghana. Her immediate family, both sets of grandparents, friends and former coaches were in the stands to hear it. "Starting at defender, No. 3... Kinley... McKenna," the introduction sounded over the public address system. Down on the field, even with the game about to begin, McNicoll noticed. But if it bothered her, you wouldn't know. "I've got a different (type of) name," the White Oaks high school grad said later. "A lot of people mispronounce it." McNicoll seemed equally unfazed by the result of Tuesday's contest, a 1-0 loss that quickly puts Canada behind the eight-ball in Group A. Canada had 55 per cent of the possession in the game, hit the post late in the first half and threatened for the equalizer several times in the second half. Victory would have been nice, McNicoll said, but it didn't happen. She added that preparation for Friday's game against Finland began as soon as Tuesday's final whistle sounded. It's a mentality she feels she needs to have as a captain. It's also one that comes naturally. "When people are down on the ground, I think it's my job to go over and say, `Hey listen, get up, we've got the next game, we can't be feeling sorry for ourselves,'" said McNicoll, who slapped hands with teammates after Ghana's first-half goal and then again at the conclusion of the game. "I've always been a very vocal and encouraging player. I think those natural behaviours of mine caught (coach Andrew Olivieri's) attention, so he gave me the honour of being the captain of the national team." McNicoll was one of the most visible Canadian players Tuesday, at both ends of the field. One minute, she'd be breaking up a Ghanaian threat deep in Canadian territory. The next, she'd be in on the Canadian attack. Stamina is the reason McNicoll, who led the University of Wisconsin in points last season as a sophomore midfielder, is utilized as a defensive fullback by the national team. "The position I'm playing now, left back, requires lots of endurance, getting up and down the field the entire game. I usually average 12-14 kilometres a game," said McNicoll, whose parents, Andrew and Trinette, are both former members of the national track-and-field team. "You need someone who wants to run all game. "I love fullback. I love running. Nothing says I can't take on a player, then play in a cross and get an assist," she added. "The game has changed, and I can use that to my advantage." Finland lost 2-1 to North Korea in the earlier Group A game Tuesday, essentially making Friday's contest in Toronto a mustwin contest for both squads. The top two countries in each four-team group advance to the quarter-finals. McNicoll said the belief level on the Canadian team was undeterred by Tuesday's loss. "It's soccer, it happens. Look at the men's World Cup, teams lost their first games and bounced right back," she said. "We'll use this game as a lesson, and we can only move forward. We can't look back." -- Jon Kuiperij can be followed on Twitter @Beaversports Oakville resident Kinley McNicoll encourages her teammates in the final minutes of Canada's 1-0 loss to Ghana Tuesday in FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup action at Toronto's National Soccer Stadium. The Canadian captain says it is her job to ensure her squad bounces back for Friday's game against Finland. | photo by Eric Riehl -- Oakville Beaver -- @Halton_Photog OAKVILLE SOCCER CLUB Week Eleven Photo Contest Winner: Photographer: Walter Wimmer Age Division: BU15 - Tim Hortons Sponsored by: Oakville Beaver A Proud Sponsor of Oakville Soccer Club Visit us: Better advice? Better car insurance? Better visit. Better car insurance starts with real advice from an RBC Insurance advisor. They can reveal benefits like Family Friendly PricingTM*, Vanishing Deductibles and Replacement Car Drop Off & Claim Start. Come in and talk to a Real Advisor. Underwritten by RBC General Insurance Company. ® / TM Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. *This offer is only available to residents of Canada. The savings is only applied to the cost of the insurance when combining more than one insurance product. This offer can't be combined with any other offer and may be changed or cancelled without notice. Certain conditions apply. At Prince Michael Dr. off Dundas St. E. 905-257-8200 At the Olde Oakville Marketplace 905-815-8121 At Appleby Line near Dundas St. 905-332-2551 TM

Powered by / Alimenté par VITA Toolkit
Privacy Policy