“GOLD!” eight-year-old Georgia Gaetan and older sister Charlotte, 10, screamed at their TV after Team Canada became Olympic champions in women’s soccer after a tense penalty shootout against Sweden, Friday morning.
“I’ve won a game against a tough team and it felt so good… like my smile was so big and I was jumping up and down,” Charlotte said. “I know that feeling can’t even compare to what the Canadian team feels right now.”
Trailing a goal at the end of the first 45 minutes, a penalty kick from Jessie Fleming put Canada back on the hunt for gold in the second half. In overtime, another stalemate.
It all came down to penatly kicks, with Georgia and Charlotte crossing their fingers, eating Oreos and performing other sweet rituals in hopes to sway Canada to a gold.
Then, after more than two hours of play, in penalty shootout sudden death, Julie Grosso sealed the deal for Canada.
“SO stressful! They must have to train a lot to play for hours!” Georgia said. “We will have to practice a lot more to be able to play that long.”
“Our games are only two 20-minute halves,” Charlotte added.
They say that watching these women achieve their dreams is incredibly inspiring. “They do it with a strong Canadian heart and hard work,” Georgia said, adding that she now wants to see more women athletes on TV.
“We watch a lot of Leafs and Jays games. Why aren’t there any girls on the team? I want to see more girls in pro leagues play,” she said.
The two young soccer players from Milton woke up bright and early to watch Team Canada’s historic gold medal match in women’s soccer.
“I knew they could do it!” Charlotte says.
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When Canada won bronze in women’s soccer at Rio Olympics 2016, Georgia was three years old. Charlotte was five.
Now the avid soccer players from Milton, who play all-year-long with their local team, have a new-found appreciation for Team Canada at the Olympics.
What’s especially been on their radar is the Canadian women’s soccer matches that they’ve been watching with mom, dad, and older brother Max.
“They just love the game of soccer,” mother Jessica Gaetan says. “It’s so exciting. My husband and I have always been into it, but now it’s fun that the kids are too.”
Here’s a recap of their reactions in this historic match for Team Canada.
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