Canadian forward Olivia Smith named Liverpool women's player of the season
Canadian international forward Olivia Smith has been voted Liverpool FC Women's 2024-25 Player of the Season.
The 20-year-old from Whitby, Ont., finished tied for the team lead in goals with nine in 25 games in her debut season in England's Women's Super League after joining Liverpool from Portugal's Sporting CP last summer.
Smith, who also had one assist on the season, finished ahead of defender Taylor Hinds and midfielder Marie Höbinger in a Liverpoolfc.com Player of the Season poll.
Smith is currently with seventh-ranked Canada, which hosts No. 53 Haiti on Tuesday in Montreal. She scored in Canada's 4-1 win over Haiti on Saturday in Winnipeg, in veteran midfielder Desiree Scott's international farewell match.
Smith has four goals and three assists in 17 senior appearances for Canada.
Thursdays
Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.
—
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
19 minutes ago
- Global News
Opening-week CFL game between Elks and Lions to feature 2 Canadian quarterbacks
It will be a historic CFL first Saturday night in Vancouver. The B.C. Lions will host the Edmonton Elks at B.C. Place in the season opener for both teams. This will mark the first opening week featuring two Canadian starting quarterbacks (B.C.'s Nathan Rourke, Edmonton's Tre Ford) since 1968 and the first time it's occurred in the same game. Story continues below advertisement The 2025 season will kick off Thursday night with the Ottawa Redblacks visiting the Saskatchewan Roughriders. On Friday night, the Toronto Argonauts begin their Grey Cup defence in Montreal versus the Alouettes before the Calgary Stampeders entertain the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday night. Also of note in Vancouver, B.C.'s Buck Pierce and Edmonton's Mark Kilam will make their CFL head-coaching debuts. Rourke, 27, of Victoria, rejoined the Lions last season following NFL stints with Jacksonville, New England, the New York Giants and Atlanta. He was the league's top Canadian in 2022 with B.C. Ford, also 27, was Edmonton's '22 first-round pick out of Waterloo. The Hec Crighton Trophy winner from Niagara Falls, Ont., was 9-9 in 18 starts over the last three years before signing an extension with the CFL club this off-season. Story continues below advertisement 2:42 Tre Ford speaks at news conference after re-signing with the Elks Ford and Kilam are looking to lead Edmonton to the CFL playoffs for the first time since 2019. Pierce joined the Lions following 10 seasons as an assistant with Winnipeg, helping the Bombers make five straight Grey Cup appearances, winning in 2019 and '21. 2:19 Edmonton Elks name Mark Kilam as football team's new head coach Some other season-opening facts: Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The overwhelming majority of players on CFL rosters are veterans. According to the league, just 67 of the 493 total players on teams are in their first year (13.6 per cent) compared to 93 at this time last year. Players have an average of 41 games (2 1/2 seasons) of CFL experience and 22 starts. The average age in the CFL is 28.2 years. Ottawa Redblacks versus Saskatchewan Roughriders (Thursday night) At Regina, the Redblacks struggled mightily on the road last season, posting a 2-7-0 record. But they were 6-3-1 versus West Division rivals. Dru Brown begins his second full season as Ottawa's starter and will have veteran receiver Eugene Lewis available. Lewis finished last season with touchdown catches in Edmonton's final eight games, leaving him two short of Terry Evanshen's league record. Veteran Trevor Harris gets the start for Saskatchewan, which is looking to improve upon last year's 5-4 home record and 4-3 mark versus East rivals. Story continues below advertisement Pick: Saskatchewan. Toronto Argonauts versus Montreal Alouettes (Friday night) At Montreal, Davis Alexander begins his first full season as the Alouettes' starting quarterback. He was an impressive 4-0 last year while incumbent Cody Fajardo – who's now in Edmonton – was injured. Veteran Nick Arbuckle, last year's Grey Cup MVP. is slated to start for the new-look Argos, who begin their title defence without many of the faces that played prominent roles in last year's championship. Chad Kelly, the CFL's 2023 outstanding player, continues to recover from the serious leg injury he sustained in last year's East Division final. Pick: Montreal. 1:48 Toronto Argonauts celebrate with fans after another Grey Cup win Hamilton Tiger-Cats versus Calgary Stampeders (Saturday night) At Calgary, Hamilton starter Bo Levi Mitchell chases his first regular-season win at McMahon Stadium, where he played so many years with the Stampeders. A victory would be Mitchell's 100th in the CFL and come in his 141st career start, making him the fastest player in league history to achieve the milestone. Veteran Vernon Adams Jr. makes his first debut with the Stampeders, who are looking to return to the CFL playoffs after missing out last year for the first time since '04. Story continues below advertisement Pick: Hamilton. Edmonton Elks versus B.C. Lions (Saturday night) At Vancouver, no one was busier this off-season than Edmonton general manager Ed Hervey, who added the likes of defensive linemen Jake Ceresna and Robbie Smith, defensive backs Royce Metchie and Tyrell Ford and offensive lineman David Beard. Conventional thinking suggests it will take time for the Elks to mesh. Both starting quarterbacks are athletic and dual threats. This one could be close, so the edge should go to the home team, especially with veteran kicker Sean Whyte. Pick: B.C.
Toronto Star
24 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Elks-Lions game features first CFL opening-week meeting of Canadian quarterbacks
It will be a historic CFL first Saturday night in Vancouver. The B.C. Lions will host the Edmonton Elks at B.C. Place in the season opener for both teams. This will mark the first opening week featuring two Canadian starting quarterbacks (B.C.'s Nathan Rourke, Edmonton's Tre Ford) since 1968 and the first time it's occurred in the same game.
Winnipeg Free Press
31 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Edmonton, Sunrise mayors up the ante in bet over Stanley Cup rematch
EDMONTON – If history repeats itself, Edmonton's mayor may soon declare an official Florida Panthers Day in Alberta's capital city. Last year's bet between Amarjeet Sohi and Mike Ryan, the mayor of Sunrise, Fla., where the Panthers play, saw salt be rubbed in the wounds of Edmontonians when their own mayor was forced to wear a Panthers jersey during a council meeting. This time around, with the Edmonton Oilers set to take on the Panthers again in the Stanley Cup Final, the municipal pride of both respective cities is being put on the line. The losing team's mayor will read a decree written by the victor in city hall and declare a certain day be set aside to honour the championship winner in the losing city. 'We both had a good laugh about how much fun this could be,' Ryan said in an interview about this year's wager. He joked that 'when the city of Sunrise celebrates the Florida Panthers winning again' he plans to write a declaration that is bearable, but still a little bit embarrassing for Sohi to read. 'Mayor Sohi's a consummate professional and respectful, so I'm confident that if Edmonton was to win, he'll send me something that I won't be too embarrassed to read, too,' Ryan said. Sohi, in a video posted on social media Tuesday, was more than confident he wouldn't be making a declaration any time soon. 'Edmonton is more ready than ever,' he said. 'The Oilers have the passion, the grit, and the talent to bring the cup home to Canada where it rightfully belongs.' Things have changed since the mayors made their bet last year. The Panthers, of course, won their first Stanley Cup in team history — and there was also the re-election of U.S. President Donald Trump. Since taking office again Trump has launched an ever-evolving trade war between the two countries while repeatedly saying Canada would be better off if it became part of the United States. Statistics Canada recently reported that the number of Canadians flying to the U.S. was down by 12.5 per cent compared with 2019, and down nearly six per cent alone compared with April of last year. Experts have said Trump's trade war and thinly veiled threats to Canadian sovereignty at least partially explain the drop, but Ryan said he thinks Canadians will flock to Sunrise to support the Oilers just as they did last year. 'I know we're ready to welcome the Edmonton fans and the Canadian fans,' Ryan said. 'I don't expect any changes.' 'For hockey fans, this is a great distraction for whatever else is going on in the world.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Ryan said there might be an 'undercurrent' of nation-to-nation tension that flows beneath the ice during the final, but he expects it to subside once the puck drops. 'I really do think that when the game begins, it's just about what's going on on the ice.' Moving up a level of government, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's office didn't immediately confirm if she plans to renew her previous wager with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The two leaders agreed to send a bottle of locally made liquor to the victor last year, meaning Smith sent DeSantis a bottle of Alberta whisky when the Panthers won. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2025.
