St. Albert Impact soccer player Carmya Mastrangelo is getting a rare opportunity, potentially playing soccer at an international level in the prestigious Danone Cup, a soccer tournament held annually for children between 10 and 12.
The 11-year-old Albert Lacombe Elementary School student is travelling to Montreal at the beginning of July to play in the final qualifier, a two team head to head matchup with the winner representing Team Canada at the Danone Cup in New York City in September.
Mastrangelo earned one of the 24 spots in the final trials by travelling to Toronto in April and competing against around 50 other girls, making her way through two sets of cuts. For the Mastrangelo family, waiting for the results was nerve-wracking. The month long wait for the final results of the final tryout were filled with sleepless nights for Mastrangelo. Her mother, Tracy Mastrangelo, was trying to not let her nerves show.
“You kind of try to put it out of your mind. On the day the results were supposed to be posted, we were all trying to calmly go about our day, but we were obsessed with checking the website. There’s nothing like it when you’re a parent, watching your child achieve something that they’ve personally set as a goal. I don’t think that there’s words to express that,” Tracy Mastrangelo said.
“I’ve always wanted to represent Canada in some way, just knowing that I’ve made it to the Danone and I could be representing Canada in New York, it’s very exciting for me,” Carmya Mastrangelo said of the opportunity.
With dreams of one day playing for the Canadian women’s national team, Carmya hopes that the Danone Cup isn’t the only time she’ll be able to compete for her country.
The Tier 1 Impact player is used to playing competitively at a high level, but the tryouts in Toronto, featuring girls from across Canada, were some of the toughest she’s has gone up against.
“It was the most competitive soccer I’ve ever played. It was fast paced with really good ball skills,” Carmya Mastrangelo said.
Nervous at the beginning, it didn’t take long for Mastrangelo to hit her stride during the first set of tryouts.
“The first game wasn’t my best. I was really nervous and didn’t get my touch on the ball like I usually have. I was running everywhere. I started to settle down, and the other games were better,” Carmya said. She’s been practicing nearly every day since she got back home, doing everything she can to be prepared for Montreal.
Over the course of attempting to make the final squad, Mastrangelo has had the support of her family by her side. Her father, Dean Mastrangelo accompanied her to Ontario for the first step of the tryouts, with her mother cheering her on from back home. Her cousin competed in the Danone Cup in previous years, and left her with advice and a bit of good luck.
“My cousin gave me a bracelet that he got from the Danone, and I wore that when I was there,” Carmya said.
That bracelet will be on her wrist when she leaves for Montreal. After she made it through the first cut in Ontario, Mastrangelo and her father celebrated with timbits at Tim Hortons, the quintessential Canadian celebration.
“That night was the most fun I’ve had so far. We were so excited and we hugged each other and it was great. And the timbits were great too,” Mastrangelo said.
“As her parents, we just want to support her and provide her with opportunities. She’s extremely driven. We have two rules for her; play your hardest, and have fun. As long as that’s the outcome then we’re happy,” her mother Tracy said.
This is the first year that the Danone Cup has had a girl’s tournament to go alongside the boys, with six different countries competing on the girl’s side and 32 for the boys.
“I’m not really sure what to expect, but I think it’s going to be a lot of fun and a really great opportunity,” Carmya Mastrangelo said.
