Victoria native Sophie De Goede named captain of Canada’s Women’s Rugby World Cup team

Victoria native Sophie De Goede has been named captain of the Canadian women's rugby team ahead of the 2022 Women’s Rugby World Cup taking place in New Zealand from Oct. 8 to Nov. 12.

It will be the first world cup appearance for the 23-year-old, who was awarded the 2022 Lois and Doug Mitchell U SPORTS Athlete of the Year Award for leading the Queen’s University Gaels women’s rugby team to a U SPORTS championship and the Queen’s women’s basketball team to a bronze medal finish.

More recently, she was named Player of the Match for her performance during a test match against Italy held at Langford’s Starlight Stadium earlier this summer, scoring a try and a penalty kick in the contest as Canada defeated Italy 34-24.

She will now have the task of leading Canada against the best women’s rugby squads in the world at the 2022 World Cup.

Canada’s best ever finish at the event came in 2014 when they captured second place. The Canadians earned a fifth place finish the last time the event was held in 2017.

De Goede and the Canadians will play their first match against Japan at Okara Park in Whangarei, NZ on Oct. 9.