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Ontario's Kennedy Faulknor Named U-17 Canadian Player Of The Year

By OSA News, 12/14/15, 4:00PM EST

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Ontario's Kennedy Faulknor, along with B.C.'s Kadin Chung, have been named the 2015 Canadian U-17 Players of the Year. The two footballers won the honour from a vote shared by national team coaches (50%) as well as Canadian clubs and coaches (50%).

Faulknor is a member of Canada's national youth program as well as Unionville-Milliken SC. She played in three youth international matches for Canada in 2015, then worked her way up to a call-up to Canada's Women's National Team before year end. On December 9, 2015, she became the youngest centre back to make her full debut with Canada at age 16 in a 3:0 win over Mexico, starting on the left side next to 20-year old superstar Kadeisha Buchanan.

"She is very comfortable on the ball and she has adapted over the year - she was a left back at the U-15 level and a wide forward before that," said Canada Soccer's Women's U-17 Coach Bev Priestman. "She has really earned her trade as a centre back: she is really comfortable on the ball, physical, and you could even say she has some Kadeisha Buchanan-type traits and we are seeing that in the Women's National Team camp."

Chung of Port Coquitlam, B.C. finished first in voting ahead of runners up Gabriel Boakye of Richmond Hill, ON (Toronto FC II) and Tristan Borges of Toronto, ON (Toronto FC II).

Faulknor finished first in voting ahead of runners up Sarah Stratigakis of Woodbridge, ON (Unionville-Milliken SC) and Deanne Rose of Alliston, ON (Scarborough GS United).

Click here to read more on the award