(Photo: Yan Huckendubler)
Women’s National Team forward Hannah Haughn made Canadian field hockey history Tuesday when she stepped onto the field in California becoming the youngest Canadian woman on record to reach 100 senior international games played for Canada.
At 21.43 years old, Haughn passes current teammate Abigail Raye, who previously held the record for the youngest women’s player to reach 100 games (at 22.95 years).
The four youngest Canadian women’s players on record to reach 100 caps are all active members of the Women’s National Team. In addition to Haughn and Raye, Danielle Hennig and Kate Gillis reached the milestone at 24.57 and 24.71 years respectively. Rounding out the top five is Sue Tingley, who reached the mark at 25.03 years.
North Vancouver’s Haughn reached the mark in a 5-0 loss to the United States on Tuesday in Chula Vista, California. Canada was playing in the second game of a four-game test series with the seventh ranked U.S. It is the team’s first competition of 2016 and the first time they have hit the field since capturing a bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto last summer.
Haughn made her senior international debut for Canada in 2011, a year in which she was the youngest member of the Canadian women’s team that competed at the Pan American Games in Mexico. She has since represented Canada at the Commonwealth Games and another Pan Am Games and looks to be a part of the team that attempts to qualify for the 2018 Women’s World Cup and 2020 Olympic Games.
After opening the test series with the U.S. with an 8-1 loss, with Haughn scoring Canada’s lone goal, the Canadians put in a better performance on Tuesday. Despite the improved play, they were not able to beat U.S. keeper Jackie Briggs who stood tall when Canada was at its most dangerous.
Of note for the Canadian, defender Alexis de Armond made her senior international debut for Canada. She is one of three players who made their senior debut this series.
The Canadian women will look to bounce back from Tuesday’s loss to the U.S. when they face their North American rival again Thursday at 12:30pm PT/3:30pm ET. The final match of the series is scheduled for the same time on Friday.
