Viens first USF alum in history to win gold in Olympics
Former USF soccer player Evelyne Viens won a gold medal with the Canadian National Team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as the team defeated Sweden in penalties Friday.
With the win, Viens became the first former student-athlete from USF to medal at the Olympics. This is also Canada’s first time winning a gold medal in women’s soccer.
The game transitioned to extra time after finishing one-all in regular time, during which neither side couldn’t find a winning goal. Canada then went on to win 3-2 in a wild penalty shootout that saw more penalties missed than scored.
Although she didn’t take part in the final game, Viens still qualified for a gold medal as she was included in the final roster for the Canadian National Team.
She made an Instagram post Friday afternoon showing off her medal alongside teammates Gabrielle Carle and Vanessa Gilles.
Viens made a total of two appearances in Tokyo, both coming in the group stages.
She came on as a substitute for Christine Sinclair in Canada’s opening match against host nation Japan on July 21, and then started the final group stage match against Great Britain on July 27.
The forward first made her international debut for Canada back in February against the U.S. after being named in the final roster to compete in the 2021 SheBelieves Cup. She scored her first goal for Canada in an international friendly against Wales in April.
During her time with the Bulls, Viens broke multiple records and earned a number of awards.
Viens broke the record for the most single-season goals in program history with 25 in her last year with the Bulls. She also holds the record for most career goals in the AAC.
In addition, she was named the AAC Tournament’s most outstanding offensive player of the year in 2019.
Viens was the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NWSL College Draft after being selected by Sky Blue FC, who have recently changed its club name to NJ/NY Gotham FC.
She went on to make six appearances during the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, scoring both her first professional goal and only goal for Sky Blue FC coming in the semifinal game against the Chicago Red Stars.
Viens was sent on loan to Paris FC in August of last year and then returned to Sky Blue FC in March.
During her time with Paris FC, she scored 11 goals in 14 appearances with the French club.
Now, Viens is back with her parent club and participated in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup. She scored one goal in three appearances.
After coming back from the Olympics, Viens is expected to continue the season with NJ/NY Gotham FC, which currently sits at second place in the NWSL.
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