For many young soccer players, getting a call-up to the national team is a dream come true. But for Melissa Dagenais, a goalkeeper from Saint-Hubert, Quebec, it was also a chance to play close to home.
Dagenais, 22, is one of the four goalkeepers in the Canadian women’s soccer team that will face Brazil in two friendlies this week. The first match will be on Saturday at Saputo Stadium in Montreal, where Dagenais expects to have some 15 to 20 friends and family cheering for her.
“It’s a huge honor,” Dagenais said in an interview with Global News. “It’s something that I’ve always been aspiring to, so I’m super excited about it, and so is my family, which I’m happy they’re going to be here for it.”
Dagenais is currently a graduate student at the University of Miami, where she has been making waves as a goalkeeper for the Hurricanes. She ranks third in the program’s history with 262 saves and recently recorded her 13th career shutout in a scoreless draw with North Carolina State.
Canada coach Bev Priestman has described the six-foot-one keeper as having “great reach” and “all the attributes” for the position. Priestman said she wanted to invest in the future and have a chance to assess Dagenais in the national team environment.
Dagenais said she was surprised by the call-up as she thought it would take longer to get there. But she was also confident in her abilities and goals.
“I feel like when I have a goal, I know I will reach it,” she said. “So it just kind of a matter of time.”
Dagenais said she has been enjoying the training sessions with the national team, where she learns from the best players in the country, including captain Christine Sinclair, who will play her final matches for Canada this week.
“She’s someone to look up to,” Dagenais said of Sinclair. “And I’m very excited to be able to train with her because training with the best, you evolve. And I’m hoping to get better for sure.”
Dagenais said she likes to play in the moment, but she also anticipates that playing in front of a big crowd will bring an adrenaline rush. She said she hopes to continue to be called up for the national team and represent her country with pride.
“I’m taking it all in,” she said. “Sometimes I’m just like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I’m here.’ I’m very grateful for the experience.”
Originally posted 2023-10-27 17:23:54.
