Amateur

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Pair of Manitobans make Olympic soccer team

By: Ed Tait

Posted: 06/25/2012 10:31 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 06/25/2012 2:35 PM | Updates

Desiree Scott, 24, in front of the Garden City soccer fields, the place she grew up playing the game. (JEFF HAMILTON \ WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

London 2012

Complete coverage of the Paralympic games in London.

Enlarge Image

UNDATED -- Chelsea Stewart. (POSTMEDIA)

Desiree Scott has had her ticket to the 2012 Olympics in London officially punched.

Scott, a midfielder and a product of the University of Manitoba, will wear Canada’s colours for our powerhouse women’s soccer team that will compete at the Olympics. The announcement of the 18-player team was made Monday morning by Canada Soccer.

She has appeared in 43 games for Canada internationally. She turns 25 next month – on the day Canada meets Sweden at the Olympics.

Said Scott through her Twitter account @MsDScott11:

"It's OFFICIAL all I need is a whistle! Your's truly has been selected to the final roster to go to LONDON!!!! AN Absolute dream come true!""Thank you for everyone showing their love and supportin me! please continue to do so as we go for GOLD! #honoured #blessed #CanWNT"

Canadian head coach John Herdman raved about Scott and what she brings to the pitch and the squad.

"Des has really shown over the last eight months honesty and integrity in her performance," said Herdman in a conference call with the national media. "She’s got a quality and assuredness and she’s known as one of those go-to players that Canada can really rely on. Over the years the team has potentially struggled in those big moments where you really hope players go and look for the ball or go and get on the ball when things start getting ugly. I think Des is starting to become that.

"She’s shown real technical competency, but her real skill set is her ability to read danger, read situations. And then in the set balls she’s like a female (Claude) Makelele (of France), a midfield player that senses danger and is able to snuff it out. And then when she gets the ball she’ll launch counter attacks and keep things simple for us."

Another athlete with Manitoba connections is also on the team. Chelsea Stewart, who is listed as from The Pas, is a defender who plays at UCLA and has 32 international caps for Canada. She grew up in Denver, Colorado but her dad’s family is from The Pas.

Canada is in Group F at the Olympics along with Japan, Sweden and South Africa and opens the tournament against Japan on July 25.

History

Updated on Monday, June 25, 2012 at 11:16 AM CDT: Adds Twitter reaction

1:48 PM: Adds quotes from coach

2:35 PM: Adds additional quote

Factual inaccuracy? Something missing? Help improve our journalism.

Know about news? Share your story suggestions, photos and video.

Spelling error? Punctuation problem? Send us an email if you’ve found a typo.

More Amateur

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.