Women's U20 Field
Player Profile: Paige Pagano - Goalie Goes for Gold
Paige Pagano, a 16-year-old lacrosse goalie, will have a birthday to remember on August 5. She will be representing Canada at 2019 Women's Lacrosse U19 World Championship in Peterborough, Ontario. The Worlds are taking place August 1-10, meaning Paige's birthday will be a mid-championship celebration.
With the conclusion of the U19 women's national team tryouts in June and the announcement of the final roster in early July, 20 young women have been recognized to represent Canada this in Peterborough, Ontario. Paige is one of two goalies on this year's Team Canada roster.
"This was my first experience at being a full-time athlete and I enjoyed being able to focus all of my attention on lacrosse," shared Paige about the evaluation camps. "It was an amazing experience being able to play with so many high-level players from across the country."
Paige was faced with hundreds of shots each day as a goaltender at the final U19 evaluation camp. This competitiveness and physicality of lacrosse is the aspect that she enjoys the most.
"As a goalie, I like being the last line of defense and the pressure of needing to stop balls," she expressed.
It was her father's love for Canada's national summer sport that was a major influence on her own. He is a college varsity coach and his passion for the game introduced Paige to lacrosse.
Playing since she was 10 years old, Paige was put in net when her club team needed a goalie. She plays for the Toronto Beaches and has been fiercely loyal to the club. As a U15 player, Paige played up for a U19 team after their goalie was injured for the duration of the season.
"I have always played my club lacrosse with the Toronto Beaches. I currently play with the U19 team and have done so for the past four years," Paige explained.
Her experience extends to playing with Team Ontario U17 for three consecutive years. In this duration Paige played and came out on top in the Brogden Cup, an international tournament between Canada and the United States.
She also attended multiple high-profile recruiting events in the past couple of years, including the Nike Elite 120 in New Jersey and the Cascade Elite 80 in Delaware where she was named a First Team All-Star. For Paige, her past experiences have been leading up to the 2019 U19 World Championship in Peterborough.
"Honestly, making Team Canada has been the highlight of my career so far. Walking into the stadium representing Team Canada will be an amazing experience that I will always remember," said Paige.
Paige will be graduating from Bishop Strachan and has committed to Jacksonville University, where her goal is to be the best player she can be and have a successful career playing for the Dolphins in 2020. Along with lacrosse, school is very important to Paige and she plans to continue excelling academically throughout university and graduate school.
Megan Taylor, who was the first goalie to win the Teewarton Top NCAA Player Award, is an idol for Paige as she prepares for the World Championship and beyond.
"It is an honour to be a member of a team that represents the entire country," shared Paige. "It also means that all of the hard work that I have put into the game has paid off, although there will be other great opportunities in the future."
About the Canadian Lacrosse Association
Founded in 1867, the Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) is the governing body responsible for all aspects of lacrosse in Canada. Our organization is comprised of 10 Member Associations representing nearly 85,000 individual participants, including coaches, officials, and athletes of all ages and abilities. The CLA's mission is to honour the sport of lacrosse and its unique nation-building heritage, by engaging our members, leading our partners, and providing opportunities for all Canadians to participate. The CLA oversees the delivery of numerous national championships and the participation of Team Canada at all international events sanctioned by the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). The CLA is proud to be affiliated with partners that share the same vision and values, including our corporate partners - New Balance Athletics, Warrior Sports, NormaTec Recovery Systems, Canadian Red Cross, Westjet, RockTape, OPRO and Baron Rings - as well as our funding partners the Government of Canada, the Coaching Association of Canada, and the Canadian Lacrosse Foundation. For more information on Canadian Lacrosse Association and the sport of lacrosse, visit our website at www.lacrosse.ca and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
For more information, please contact:
Victoria Klassen
Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Canadian Lacrosse Association
Phone: 613-260-2028 ext. 302
Email: victoria@lacrosse.ca
