Despite hailing from the ‘The True North’ of America, Canadian sensation Taryne Boudreau has a much deeper affiliation with Victoria than you’d expect from someone that’d never set foot in Australia until this year.
In a playing career that’s taken her from her homeland, across the United States and back again, she’s seen playing time in the American professional second tier, the Canadian national team and Youth World Cups.
But most interestingly is her stint at Edmonton Victoria Soccer Club, a local club in the province of Alberta, close to where she enjoyed her humble upbringing in Sherwood Park.
There and then, a strong affinity was formed with the capital city of Alberta and now ironically, the forward finds herself in the capital city of Victoria, Australia in her first major move of her footballing career.
After a stunning month of football, which saw Boudreau net two hat-tricks in three games, our WPL Player of the Month for April speaks up about her progression in the league to date, what she thinks of Australia and a certain Aussie Canuck that helped her pave a way Down Under.
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Q. Firstly, congratulations on winning the WPL Player of the Month award for Rounds 4-6, how have you seen your game progress down here in Australia?
A. First of all I just wanted to say it’s an honour to be named Player of the Month. There are some really great players out there from all the teams. Definitely when I first came to Australia, I started off a little slow. I was ridiculously jet lagged but during the weeks I’ve been working hard, focusing, practicing a lot with the team and I think my game is getting a lot better. I’m staying focused and I definitely just want to perform for my team.
Q. How did the move to Australia come about? What were your reasons for doing so?
A. One of my teammates in college Natalie Martineau (South Melbourne) actually got me to come out here. She told me a little bit about the league and all that. So as far as the football is concerned, I was looking for a change. I’ve been playing in North America for so long that I just needed something different. A change of way in how everyone plays football down here. I needed a fresh start to get my confidence back, to get playing, having fun and enjoying the game. I think this was a really great move for me to make because I’m enjoying football again.
Q. Tell us a little bit about your football journey so far?
A. I’m originally from Canada and I got a scholarship down to Louisiana State University [in the US], I played four years there and graduated. Straight out of college, I really wanted to play pro soccer, so I did that with the Houston Aces. I played a season with them then went over to the San Diego Sea Lions before going home to play with Victoria Soccer Club. I kind of bounced around a little bit, but still played at that top level in both countries. I grew up in Canada, played in the US for eight years, so I wanted this change and always wanted to come overseas again. I’ve travelled around with the Canadian National Team, camps, tournaments, World Cups, but this, I’ve never moved overseas before.
Q. You mentioned the Canadian National Team, how was that experience going through the youth system at international level?
A. I’ve worked my way up [through the Canadian youth system], then I got a crack at the U20’s, went to two World Cups and CONCACAF qualifying with them. It was amazing, I got to travel the world and play football all over the world and play for my country, which was the huge thing. Any little girl dreams of doing that, and actually achieving that was pretty spectacular. I’ve been called into a camp with the full team before; I went to China and did a Four Nations tournament with them. I didn’t get capped unfortunately but my eyes are still set on it. I still want to hopefully one day get back on the team and maybe go to the Olympics and a World Cup with them. They’re my future goals.
Q. What was it that drew you towards Boroondara? Was there a certain connection there that got you here?
A. [Nat Martineau] was the one that got in contact with the coaches at Boroondara for me. They were super friendly, super welcoming and eager to talk to me more and get me down here. They definitely just helped in any way they could. It was more of a family feel to the team. The girls at first were amazing, welcoming me into the team. So I think it’s just such a great fit for me to come over and play with them, because they’re just a fantastic group all round. The whole community is great.
Q. What are the similarities between home and here, and how has the transition been so far?
A. There are tons of Australians that come to work [in Canada], especially in my province. So I’ve met a lot of them and they all told me to come down to Melbourne. It’s funny that I actually came here, and better that I’ve come to play soccer. So actually coming to a team, meeting some people and making friends, the transition was a lot easier in that aspect. People are just so friendly here and so welcoming, willing to lend a hand and just make you feel comfortable. I definitely thought I’d be homesick just a little bit, but definitely not. I’m fitting in and feeling like this is home, and of course playing some good football is great.
Q. What have you been up to since coming to Australia outside of football?
A. I went to an AFL game! I had no idea what was going on but it was interesting. The fans were amazing and I finally got to understand what barracking means too, so that was good. I’m definitely trying to see a lot of different sites around Melbourne. Me and my teammate Sarah Jacobs [from the USA] have done art tours around the city, tried a bunch of cafés and just walking around a lot trying to see as much as we can. I actually pet and fed some kangaroos! That was interesting, I couldn’t believe I was doing it.
Q. Looking more at the way the team is playing, you certainly have some fluency in the front three up top. Aliesha Newman, Emma Hubbard and yourself seem to keep defenders on their toes by swapping positions and making smart runs. What’s your favourite position to play and how have you found that understanding in the final third?
A. I like playing in the centre where I am in the high nine role. I’m really familiar with that. I think the team is doing really well and we’re moving the ball around well. Definitely Shaun [Ontong] just tells us to keep moving. I’ve been taught that if you make one run and it’s not there, make another. We all keep reminding each other to keep moving. Sarah [Jacobs] is always there to support us so I think that all together in our time out there we’re doing a great job.
Q. What are your expectations for the season ahead? Is it too early to say that the title is the expectation in this group?
A. We’re just taking it one game at a time, but we’re trying to improve each game. I can tell in practice, we’re all working hard, we’re focused and everyone is super committed. We want to have a go at the title. We’ve talked about it, we touch on it here and there but we don’t really talk about it too much. But we have our goal set and that’s where we want to end up, in the finals. But definitely there’s still plenty of work to be done before we get there.
It’s a little too soon to be saying ‘if we don’t make the Grand Final, then we’ve failed’ but what we’re getting satisfaction out of at the moment is seeing our improvement one game at a time. Especially for me individually, if I’m improving each game, then that’s great.
Q. And your personal game this month has stepped up to another level. You’ve banged in a number of goals but you’ve also shown plenty of creativity. Are you more than just goals?
A. I definitely would like to say that I like to bring people into the game as well. Obviously as strikers we like to score goals, you cannot deny that as a striker. But definitely I like to see what I can do by creating space, or playing the ball back to my midfielders or other forwards. Seeing them finish is the same as scoring a goal for me, as long as we’re getting the results we want, then I’m happy doing it.
Q. Of course there was the change of coach mid-season, has it been quite a smooth transition? From the outside looking in, it looks very much like more of the same from your side?
A. Fil [Simao’s] been around, still coaching at the club, doing a bunch of different things. We completely understand why he had to step down. Definitely with Shaun, it’s been very smooth. All of us girls respect him, we listen to him, we like what he’s doing so far and we’re committed to him and ready to work. He’s brought a lot of positivity to the team and we have this trust with him where we know what he’s teaching us is working as long as we stay committed to that.
Photos: Hannah Hubbard/Boroondara Eagles