SASKATOON, Sask. - Last week (Apr. 15), Canada Soccer announced the 14 players selected to represent the nation in the inaugural Concacaf W Futsal Championship set to take place from April 28 to May 4, 2025, in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Three University of Saskatchewan (USask) Huskie Women's Soccer alumni were among those selected to the first-ever Canadian Women's National Futsal Team with Erica Hindmarsh, Jadyn Steinhauer, and recently graduated midfielder Jade Houmphanh set to don the maple leaf. Joining the trio is their former head coach and leader of the Huskie Women's Soccer program, Jerson Barandica-Hamilton, who will serve as an assistant on the national team staff. 

For Barandica-Hamilton, the announcement represents the dedication of both athletes and coaches within the Huskie program coming to fruition. "This is a historic moment for our program and one of my most proud moments as a coach! To have Erica, Jade and Jadyn selected to the first-ever Women's National Futsal Team is a moment I will never forget as a coach. Ten years ago, when we we first introduced futsal as a key component of our off-season development plan for our Huskie program, we could only dream of having national competitions to play in, let alone having a full national team to represent our country internationally. Fast forward to this past week and we now have two National Champion teams in the Saskatoon Green & White (made up of current University players) and Impact SK (made up entirely of USask Alumni), and three players selected to the first-ever national team that will be representing our country internationally in Guatemala in a few days. A pretty cool full circle moment that validates a lot of the hard work that many of our players and coaches have put in behind the scenes."

The Canadian National Team is gaining a trio of hardworking players and highly skilled athletes who have enjoyed considerable success—both on the USask pitch and, more recently while representing the province in futsal.

Saskatoon product Jade Houmphanh is the most recent Huskie graduate headed to Guatemala, with the five-year midfielder having played her final season in green and white just this past fall. She appeared in 56 games during her career, starting 46 and recording ten goals and 12 assists (5th-most in program history). In addition to her 3,178 minutes played for the Huskies, Houmphanh has excelled as a member of the Saskatoon Green & White and Saskatoon Impact FC, helping both teams earn national titles while earning Most Valuable Player honours in consecutive national championship tournaments. According to Houmphanh, her time as a Huskie and her experience playing futsal worked in tandem to prepare her for this opportunity.

"Our off-season training had a huge futsal emphasis. Futsal is so beneficial as it improves your ball control and technique in a fast-paced game, forcing you to make quick decisions that all translate to the bigger 11v11 game. It was my Huskie teammates who pushed me in training and coach Jerson who helped me build my understanding of futsal-specific movements and gameplay, which helped build my futsal skills over the years."

Houphmanh's selection to Team Canada will mark the second time she has joined forces with Hindmarsh and Steinhauer outside the Huskies. Earlier this month, the trio contributed to the Saskatoon Impact FC's national title in Regina. 

Erica Hindmarsh, who most recently took the pitch as a Huskie in 2016, closed out her USask career as one of the most prolific scorers in program history, amassing 45 career points. Another local Saskatoon product, she also holds the Huskie record for career assists with 23 over her four seasons (2012-16). Hindmarsh is another testament to the Huskie program, crediting the high-performance environment for allowing her to develop into the Team Canada player she is now.  

"I was in an environment that demanded extreme physical and mental sharpness. Our seasons are short, so everything we did was done intentionally. Being able to train and play in a competitive environment with coaches who saw the potential and pushed for that definitely contributed to that as well. Even now, being ten years out of my Huskie career, I am still lucky enough to be able to train and compete with the current Huskie team throughout summer training and games. So being able to have a program that allows alumni to come back and train is amazing."

Team Canada will be backstopped by arguably the best goalkeeper in Huskie program history, Jadyn Steinhauer, who owns career records for total saves (269) and shutouts (17). Spending five seasons with the Dogs from 2016-21, Steinhauer experienced plenty of success prior to taking the futsal court, recording two seasons with seven wins and three with five or more clean sheets. Similarly to her Team Canada teammate Erica Hindmarsh, Steinhauer continues to train with the Huskies long after being introduced to futsal as a student-athlete. 

"When I started with the Huskies, we started doing futsal in our offseason to keep in shape over the winter and help with our touches on the ball. Coach Jerson always believed that I was capable of playing at a high level, so I have him to thank as well for always pushing me and allowing me to come and train with the Huskies even after my five years was up."

While the trio remains focused on the competition ahead of them, they also recognize the significance of representing both their country and province on the international stage. For each athlete, wearing the Canadian jersey carries personal meaning and a sense of pride.

"To represent Canada is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Houmphanh. "It is an honour to represent not only our country but also Saskatchewan on the world stage. As my teammates and I always say, 'We're putting Sask on the Map', showing everyone there is so much unlocked potential and talent in our province. I hope our selection inspires other Sask players to continue to work hard and believe in their abilities, as you never know when these opportunities will come."

Steinheaur echoed that sentiment, adding, "Representing Canada would be an honour for me. Being a part of the growth of women's sports in Canada and inspiring others is a reward in itself. Competing at this level means a lot because it reflects the work I've put in throughout my life to make this possible."

For Hindmarsh, the opportunity also presents the potential to be historically significant. "Any time you get to represent your province, let alone country, it's an extremely huge honor. But to be a part of the first ever futsal women's championship would mean everything to me."

The 2025 Concacaf W Futsal Championship features nine participating nations divided into two groups. Canada will compete in Group B alongside the United States, Costa Rica, and the winner of a play-in match between Honduras and Nicaragua. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage following a round-robin group stage from April 29 to May 1. The tournament then culminates in single-elimination semifinals on May 3, followed by the final on Sunday, May 4. The two finalists featured in the championship match will also qualify for the 2025 FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup in the Philippines, set to take place from November 21 to December 7, 2025. 

Team Canada will open the tournament on Tuesday, April 29, against Costa Rica, with kickoff set for 11:00am. 
 

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