We now know the trophy the Northern Super League champion will be receiving. On Thursday, it was announced by the Canadian Press, that the champion of the Canadian Women’s Soccer League will receive the Diana B. Matheson Cup.
Matheson of Mississauga, Ontario, is best known for scoring one of the biggest goals in Canadian soccer history. She scored the game-winning goal for Canada in the bronze medal game of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Matheson’s goal came in the 92nd minute in a 1-0 Canada win over France. Matheson also won a bronze medal for Canada at the 2016 Olympic Game in Rio de Janeiro.
After retiring from soccer, Matheson had an instrumental role in launching the Northern Super League. This is the first season of the NSL and there are six franchises–the Calgary Wild FC, the Halifax Tides FC, the Montreal Roses FC, the Ottawa Rapid FC, the AFC Toronto, the Vancouver Rise FC. In addition to being the co-founder of the NSL, Matheson, along with her business partner Tom Gilbert, are co-owners of Ottawa Rapid FC.
The best team in the NSL this season has been AFC Toronto. They have been led by forward Kaylee Hunter of Calgary, Alberta, who has 13 goals.