'True passion for the game': Regina teen making waves and breaking barriers as lacrosse goalie

Avlyn Soucy, 15, of Regina has been playing lacrosse for almost eight years and has become a key local athlete in a predominately male sport.

Soucy plays goalie for the Barracuda ‘A’ Lacrosse Program of the Queen City Minor Box Lacrosse Association, a team that is comprised of mainly boys.

“It’s really fun actually. It challenges us because we’re not always up to speed with the boys but we’re getting there. It helps me a lot because it challenges me a lot [in the sport],” she said.

Soucy explained there were only co-ed teams growing up, but even those have always been predominately male. When nationals rolled around, the province would find a way to create a female provincial team.

Soucy was a part of those teams, competing four times in National, three with the all-female team and once on the co-ed squad. However, she shared even on the co-ed team it, was just her and one other girl that made the cut. She said there was once an all girls team in Regina, but there was not enough interest to keep the program rolling.

For now, Soucy, and about five other girls find themselves playing amongst the boys their age in the sport.

“It’s not hard to find a place with them. When you click with the boys, it’s easier to play. And It’s easier to play against other teams because they’re also [predominately male],” she shared.

“I think that’s what every coach wants, right? It’s that sense of inclusiveness. With coaching Avlyn and some of the other females within the sport of Regina, it’s always been there. I’m a promoter of having a team feel, a team atmosphere. They’ve performed just as well as many male athletes within the sport,” Brad Panko, one of Avlyn’s primary coaches throughout the years, said.

Panko was introduced to Soucy about six years ago when she joined a team his son played on.

“One thing that stands out with Avlyn is her attitude and her effort. You never have to worry about what you’re getting, come game time or practice. It’s just the excitement that she shows on her face and she really gives that indication that she has a true passion for the game,” he said.

However, Soucy is not just a member of the local lacrosse team. She has garnered attention throughout the sport that has landed a spot on a multitude of international teams as well.

She plays for a Minnesota team in both their male and female programs where she has represented at the United States Box Lacrosse Nationals. Given her proximity to the state, she does not get to spend a lot of time practicing with the squads but attends the tournaments in both the summer and winter with the teams.

“I went with the guys’ team to Box Lacrosse Nationals in winter of 2023 and there the Minnesota team saw me and they were like, ‘Do you want to come play with our team?’ I played this winter and I also played in the summer in nationals in San Jose this past August,” Soucy shared.

Soucy played with their male team in the winter and the female team in the summer.

“It’s pretty common [to get picked up by American teams] because Canadian players are really strong so they recruit a lot of us,” she explained.

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Perhaps the most exciting opportunities for Soucy have come in the last year when she was invited to join the Women’s Global Box Lacrosse Network International Team.

In October, she played with the squad at the LAXNAI North American Invitational Tournament in Utica, New York. Now she will compete in the second annual ‘She-Box’ tournament in Prague, Czech Republic.

‘She-Box’ was created last year and features eight women’s box lacrosse teams from seven different countries and is working to grow the female side of the game on the international stage. It comes as the first ever World Championships for female box lacrosse comes up later this year.

Soucy added she is excited to hopefully wear the Maple Leaf someday and represent on Team Canada at the World Championships.

Soucy competed last year in Europe but with a team based out of Germany at the event. Later this month, she and another player from Saskatchewan, McKenzie Shymko, will be competing with the North American team heading to Czechia.

“I’m most excited for just the experience in general. We get to play national teams like Germany and Hong Kong and they’ve been training awhile. It’s a big deal for me because other younger girls can see they have other opportunities [in the sport too]. I’m one of the youngest on that team and the others are in their twenties and thirties so it’s pretty cool,” she said.

“I think everyone within the sport in Regina is excited to see her excel and take it to a new height outside of Regina, and on a bigger playing field in international levels. She’s representing us locally and I’m excited to see where she goes with it,” Panko said.

It is not lost on the almost 16 year old the impact she has had on the sport locally and she also thanks Panko for taking a chance on her years ago.

“I’m the youngest player on most of the teams and also being a girl playing on male teams, it’s pretty ground-breaking actually. He’s [Panko] over the last couple of years pushed me to be better. He’s given me opportunities to play against and on phenomenal teams and he’s helped me improve my game. He’s just been a mentor,” Soucy said.