Korah Collegiate’s lone girl on the senior boys’ football team has added some hardware to her trophy case this summer.
Lilliana Sawchyn recently returned from Ottawa where she won gold with Team Ontario Black at the Women’s U18 Tackle National Championship – also known as the Canada Cup.
The only player from Sault Ste. Marie to make the provincial team, Sawchyn was eventually named one of the captains and started on defense and special teams throughout the tournament.
“It’s a great feeling,” the 17-year-old said. “It was a very new opportunity for me.”
Ontario Black got off to a good start at the Canada Cup after earning a 70-0 win over Indigenous Football Canada.
Days later, Sawchyn and her teammates clinched a spot in the championship game with a 39-14 win over New Brunswick. The Korah linebacker made her presence known in that tilt as she was named the game’s defensive MVP.
“I had two fumble recoveries and a number of tackles,” she said. “It was cool to get that recognition, but it wasn’t what I was setting out for.”
Then last Saturday, a battle for gold against Manitoba turned into a defensive clinic.
Although her team had no substitutes for their defense, Sawchyn’s side came out on the right end of an 8-0 score to clinch Ontario’s first-ever championship at the Canada Cup.
“It was a tough game; the offense was having a tough time,” she said. “Going into it, we knew we were in for a tough game, so we were already mentally prepared for that. We didn’t let them get any points, and we just had to keep battling the whole game.”
“It always impresses me how strong of a relationship a team can build in that short amount of time, and this was no different.”
Making a successful debut on the national stage, Sawchyn is incredibly thankful for the experience and was proud to represent her hometown.
“It was really cool meeting and playing against all of these different teams from around the country,” she said. “Being the only one from the Sault, I felt like I was there to represent my city, and I tried to do my best there.”
While women's tackle football has almost zero presence at the high school and university level in Canada, Sawchyn described the Canada Cup as a step in the right direction for growing the game.
“It’s really cool to see how the tournament has developed in the last two years,” she said. “Seeing so many women from across the country come and play football at a highly competitive level was really cool. It gave a good look into the future and the growth of women’s football in Canada.”
A goaltender with her ringette team and the girls’ Soo Jr Greyhounds AA team, Sawchyn is looking forward to getting back to her regular year-round sports with this boost of momentum.
“I learned a lot from this experience that will carry on into the Korah season for sure,” she said.