Michele Houchen (born September 23, 1965) is a Canadian retired soccer player who played as a striker.[2] She made five appearances and scored two goals for the Canada national team.[1] She currently serves as the Girls Junior Academy head coach for Blue Devils FC.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michele Houchen | ||
| Date of birth | September 23, 1965[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker[2] | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Oakville SC | |||
| International career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987 | Canada | 5 | (2) |
Early life and career
editHouchen was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1965,[1] and raised in Scarborough.[4][2] She began playing soccer at the age of 15.[2] In 1985, she moved with her family to Oakville, Ontario, where she joined the Oakville Soccer Club.[4] In 1986, she won the Canada Soccer Women's All-Star Championship.[1]
International career
editIn July 1986, Houchen was one of the 23 players selected to participate in the first-ever Canada national team camp in Winnipeg, Manitoba.[1] On July 15, 1987, at the age of 21, she made her debut for the national team in a 2–0 friendly loss to Sweden at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota.[1][5] Later that year, she made the roster for the 1987 Women's World Invitational Tournament in Taiwan.[1] On December 11, she scored twice in a 2–0 win over Hong Kong in Kaohsiung City.[6][7] On December 19, she made her 5th and final national team appearance, in a 4–0 loss to the United States in Taipei.[8] Houchen was part of the national team player pool for a total of five years, from 1986 to 1991.[3]
Later life and coaching career
editIn 2002, Houchen was player-coach for the Oakville Storm, a team part of the Oakville Soccer Club,[9] and helped them win both the Ontario Women's Cup and the Jubilee Trophy.[4][10][1] In 2004, she was named as an assistant coach for the Ontario provincial team, and the team went on to win gold at the National All-Star Championship.[11] In 2005, she was player-coach for the Oakville Panthers as they won gold at the World Masters Games, in the age 38–44 category.[12][11]
In 2015, Houchen founded Future Girls Soccer, an all-girls soccer academy based in Oakville.[13] As of 2022, she serves as the Girls Junior Academy head coach for Blue Devils FC.[3] Before joining the Blue Devils, she was a development director with Oakville SC.[14][11][15]
Personal life
editHouchen attended Sheridan College.[1] She is an insurance broker.[2] In 2007, she was inducted into the Oakville Sports Hall of Fame.[2]
Career statistics
editInternational
edit| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada[1] | |||
| 1987 | 5 | 2 | |
| Total | 5 | 2 | |
- Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Houchen goal.[1]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 11, 1987 | Kaohsiung City, Taiwan |  Hong Kong |
1–0 | 2–0 | 1987 Women's World Invitational Tournament |
| 2 | 2–0 |
Honours
editClub
edit- Oakville SC
- Ontario Women's Cup: 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2002[2][11][10]
- Jubilee Trophy: 2002[9][1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Michele Houchen player profile". Canada Soccer Association. January 28, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Agro, Carly (June 16, 2009). "Competitive fires still burn for Ont. soccer coach Michele Houchen". CBC Sports. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ a b c "TECHNICAL TEAM". Blue Devils FC. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ a b c Michele Houchen - Oakville Sports Hall of Fame (Video). Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ "Canada 0 - 2 Sweden". Canada Soccer Association. January 20, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ "This Day in Football from 10-16 December". Canada Soccer Association. July 19, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ "Canada 2 - 0 Hong Kong". Canada Soccer Association. January 20, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ "Canada 0 - 4 USA". Canada Soccer Association. January 20, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ a b "Canada Soccer 2022 Yearbook of Champions, Records & Results". Canada Soccer Association. May 17, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ a b "Canada - List of Ontario Cup Winners (Canadian Amateur Club Cup)". RSSSF. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Each one has earned their place in history". Burlington Post. February 24, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ "World Masters Games Soccer" (PDF). World Masters Games. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ Kuiperij, Jon (November 10, 2015). "New soccer academy in Halton designed to provide female players with female coaching". Oakville Beaver. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ "OSC Celebrity Game". Oakville Beaver. July 5, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ "All-Oakville final in Barrie". Burlington Post. June 17, 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2022.