VICTORIA, BC - After going 14 consecutive years (2004-2017) without having a player named an All-Canadian, the Guelph Gryphons women's soccer program has now had a player recognized nationally two years in a row. And it's a local Guelph product who is responsible.

Victoria Hinchliffe, a fourth-year forward on the Gryphons women's soccer team and product of Guelph's Bishop Macdonnell Catholic High School, has been named a 2019 U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian. For Hinchliffe, it marks the second consecutive season in which she has achieved All-Canadian status after being named to the U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian team a season ago. Hinchliffe was one of two Gryphons recognized at the national level on Wednesday evening (Nov. 6) in Victoria, BC as part of the 2019 U SPORTS Women's Soccer All-Canadian gala, with teammate Kate Knafelc named to the U SPORTS All-Rookie Team. A complete list of the 2019 U SPORTS women's soccer All-Canadians and major award winners can be found below.
 

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Victoria Hinchliffe - U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian

After starring as a two-sport athlete in local District 10 play at Bishop Macdonell Catholic High School (soccer and field hockey), Victoria Hinchliffe has put together a decorated career as a forward on the Gryphons women's soccer team since arriving on University of Guelph's campus in 2016. The human kinetics major became the program's first ever OUA Rookie of the Year recipient in 2016. In her sophomore season in 2017, she helped lead her team to their first ever OUA title. By 2018, she had become the program's first player to be named OUA West MVP, and in 2019, she has achieved All-Canadian status for a second straight season.

Hinchliffe's 2019 season was cut short due to an injury towards the end of the season, but she still managed to finish tied for 5th in the conference in scoring with 8 goals in 9 games played. With Hinchliffe leading the way, the Gryphons finished the regular season 2nd in their division, scoring 29 goals in 14 games played to finish the regular season as the highest-scoring team in the nine-team OUA West division. Hinchliffe also spent the summer representing Team Canada in Italy at the 2019 FISU Summer Universiade, an experience that head coach Shayne Campbell says had immediate benefits.

"Victoria returned from her experience at the FISU games this summer and you could tell immediately that it had a positive impact," says Campbell, who has served as head coach of the Gryphons soccer program since 2017. "The growth in her as a player was evident in the different elements that she had added to her game. She continued her scoring this season that we have all come to expect from her, but it was things such as playing with her back to goal that highlighted her growth. It's what most don't see but we (the team) get to on a regular basis; Victoria's relentless push to be the best player she can be. Despite a late season injury that took her off the field, she never once wavered in her team captain or veteran leadership responsibilities; she was present for everything. She is a special player and person who we are thrilled for that is getting this recognition."
 

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Kate Knafelc - U SPORTS All-Rookie Team

Kate Knafelc, an 18-year-old native of Ridgeville, Ontario, was one of just two OUA first-year players to earn a spot among the 12 best rookies in the country as part of the 2019 U SPORTS All-Rookie Team. The marine and freshwater biology major became just the second player in program history to been named OUA Rookie of the Year, joining teammate Victoria Hinchliffe who did so in 2016. Knafelc's stellar first season in the OUA saw her finish 3rd on the team in scoring with 5 goals in 11 games, including a game-winning goal in her U SPORTS debut on August 31 in a 2-1 win over York. 

"Kate is a very committed and talented player," says Gryphon head coach Shayne Campbell. "We knew we had a very good athlete with good speed and a proven goal scorer but she has shown us so much more in her first season. Her ability to play wide or central showed her versatility this season. She scored game winners and important goals for us and became a key figure in our attack. She is always eager to take on information and improve as a player. Kate is a well-respected person in our room because of not only the player she is, but her dedication to academics and the way she carries herself off the field. She is a true delight to work with and we are very pleased that she is getting this recognition."
 

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2019 U SPORTS Women's Soccer Major Award Winners

Player of the Year (Chantal Navert Memorial Award):  Jenaya Robertson (Trinity Western)
Rookie of the Year:  Alliyah Rowe (Cape Breton)
Coach of the Year:  Alexandre DaRocha (UQAM)
Community Service Award:  Sydney Kenney (Dalhousie)
 

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U SPORTS Women's Soccer First Team All-Canadians
 

Pos.	First Name	Last Name	School	Elig.	Hometown	Program
M	Jenaya	Robertson	Trinity Western	5	Delta, B.C.	Business
F	Mikayla	Morton	Ottawa	4	Courtice, Ont.	Psychology
D	Mélissa	Roy	UQAM	5	Lévis, Que.	Social Gerontology
M	Ciera	Disipio	Cape Breton	5	Ottawa, Ont.	Community Studies
G	Léa	Palacio-Tellier	UQAM	2	Montreal, Que.	Psychosocial Intervention
D	Teni	Odetoyinbo	York	3	Mississauga, Ont.	Business
D	Kristen	Sakaki	Trinity Western	4	Surrey, B.C.	Business Admin.
F	Amanda	Smith	StFX	2	Ottawa, Ont.	Human Kinetics
M	Mégane	Sauvé	Montreal	3	Saint-Hyacinthe, Que.	Teaching French
F	Alliyah	Rowe	Cape Breton	1	Kitchener, Ont.	Physical Activity  Leadership
D	Jamie	Erickson	MacEwan	5	Edmonton, Alta.	Science

 
 

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U SPORTS Women's Soccer Second Team All-Canadians
 

Pos.	First Name	Last Name	School	Elig.	Hometown	Program
F	Victoria	Hinchliffe	Guelph	4	Guelph, Ont.	Human Kinetics
G	Emily	Burns	MacEwan	5	Sherwood Park, Alta.	Arts
M	Montana	Leonard	Calgary	4	Richmond, B.C.	Arts
M	Mercy	Myles	StFX	4	Accra, Ghana	Human Kinetics
F	Jenna	Boudreau	Acadia	5	Halifax, N.S.	Science
D	Marie-Ève	Bernard O'Breham	Montreal	4	Longueuil, Que.	Electrical Engineering
F	Julia	Liguori	UQAM	4	Montreal, Que.	Accounting
M	Lidia	Bradau	Queen's	5	Woodbridge, Ont.	Chemical Engineering
D	Amy	Mikuska	Calgary	4	Calgary, Alta.	Arts
M	Jenny	Wolever	Toronto	5	Toronto, Ont.	Physical Therapy
M	Katherine	Bearne	Ottawa	5	Halifax, N.S.	Physics (Masters)

        
 

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U SPORTS Women's Soccer All-Rookie Team
 

Pos.	First Name	Last Name	School	Hometown	Program
M	Bryana	Buttar	Fraser Valley	Abbotsford, B.C.	Arts
F	Cecilia	Way	Queen's	Victorial, B.C.	Business
M	Karima	Lemire	UQAM	Longueuil, Que.	Accounting
F	Alliyah	Rowe	Cape Breton	Kitchener, Ont.	Physical Activity Leadership
M	Madicynn	Harnish	Acadia	Lower Sackville, N.S.	Science
D	Ariel	Carignan	McGill	Sherbrooke, Que.	Arts
F	Kate	Knafelc	Guelph	Ridgeville, Ont.	Marine & Freshwater Biology
M	Jessica	Tsai	Manitoba	Winnipeg, Man.	Science
D	Trinity	Esprit	Ottawa	Scarborough, Ont.	Sociology
M	Morgan	Leon	Dalhousie	Toronto, Ont.	Biology
M	Sofia	DiGiacomo	MacEwan	Calgary, Alta.	Arts
G	Catherine	Langelier	Montreal	Saint-Eustache, Que.	Preschool and Primary Ed.

 

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