Kennedy Faulknor
Personal information
Full name Kennedy Jade Faulknor[1]
Date of birth (1999-06-30) June 30, 1999
Place of birth Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Minnesota Aurora
Youth career
2007–2017 Unionville Milliken SC
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2021 UCLA Bruins 67 (8)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017 Unionville Milliken SC 2 (0)
2022–2023 Canberra United 14 (1)
2023– Minnesota Aurora
International career‡
2014 Canada U-15 6 (0)
2016 Canada U-17 3 (1)
2015 Canada 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of April 6, 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of October 16, 2017

Kennedy Jade Faulknor (born June 30, 1999) is a Canadian soccer player who plays as a centre-back for Minnesota Aurora. In 2015, she represented the Canadian national team, where, at the age of 16, she was the youngest centre-back to ever play for Canada.

Early life

Born in Scarborough, to a Jamaican father and a Canadian mother,[2] she grew up in nearby Markham.[3] Faulknor began playing youth soccer with the Unionville Milliken SC at age five,[4][2] playing rep since age eight.[5] With the UMSC 1999 Girls, she served as team captain, was leading scorer in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013, was team MVP in 2012 and 2013, and was named to the Provincial All-Star Team in 2013 and 2014 at U14 and U15 level, respectively.[6]

College career

In May 2015, she committed to attend UCLA to play for the UCLA Bruins on a full scholarship, beginning in 2017.[5][7] She made her debut on September 3, 2017, playing against the Weber State Wildcats.[8][1] She scored her first goal on September 13, 2018 against the Loyola Marymount Lions.[9]

Club career

In 2017, she played two games with Unionville Milliken SC in League1 Ontario.[10]

In February 2022, she attended preseason with the Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League.[11]

In October 2022, Faulknor joined Australian A-League Women club Canberra United.[12]

In April 2023, Faulknor joined Minnesota Aurora.[13][14]

International career

Faulknor was called up to the national team program for the first time at age 14 in June 2014 for a U15 national team camp.[2] She was then named to the U15 squad for the 2014 CONCACAF Girls' U-15 Championship.[15] Faulknor won gold with Canada at the tournament and was named to the Tournament Best XI.[16]

In December 2015, at the age of 16, Faulknor was first called up to the Canadian senior squad, being selected for the 2015 International Women's Football Tournament of Natal.[17] She made her debut starting in the first match of the group stage, in which Canada beat Mexico 3–0,[18] becoming the youngest centre-back to ever appear for Canada.[2]

In December 2015, Faulknor was named Canadian U-17 Women's Player of the Year.[19]

In March 2016, Faulknor was selected for Canada's under-17 squad for the 2016 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship.[20] She scored her first international goal against Grenada U20 on March 5.[21] In the next match against Haiti, she suffered a concussion, sidelining her for the remainder of the tournament.[22]

References

  1. 1 2 "Kennedy Faulknor UCLA profile". UCLA Bruins.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kennedy Faulknor at the Canadian Soccer Association
  3. ↑ Fanfair, Ron (June 15, 2016). "Soccer star cleared to begin training after concussion". Share. Archived from the original on January 21, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Soccer girls kick up storm". Markham Economist & Sun. September 10, 2008.
  5. 1 2 "Match Preview: Aurora FC v Unionville Milliken S.C." League1 Ontario. May 5, 2017.
  6. ↑ Hayakawa, Michael (November 26, 2015). "Markham soccer star earns invite". Markham Economist & Sun.
  7. ↑ "Defender Faulknor to join Canadian teammate Fleming at UCLA". TSN. May 3, 2017.
  8. ↑ "No. 1 UCLA Heads to Virginia for Top-10 Matchup". UCLA Bruins. September 6, 2017.
  9. ↑ "UCLA Women's Soccer Takes Control in 3-0 Win at LMU". UCLA Bruins. September 13, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Kennedy Faulknor 2017 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  11. ↑ "Houston Dash announce 2022 preseason roster". Houston Dash. February 1, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Canadian centre-back Faulknor in for 2022/2023". Canberra United. October 24, 2022.
  13. ↑ Minnesota Aurora [@MNAuroraFC] (April 24, 2023). "Welcome Kennedy Faulknor (@KennedyJade_), @UCLAWSoccer Alum & center back for Canberra United in the Australian @aleaguewomen!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ↑ "Kennedy Faulknor, Maya Hansen star as Aurora beat Chicago, improve to 2-0". Star Tribune. May 28, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Canada to compete in inaugural CONCACAF Girls' Under-15 Championship". Canadian Soccer Association. July 30, 2014. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018.
  16. ↑ "TSG announces CGU15 Best XI". CONCACAF. August 18, 2014. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  17. ↑ Hayakawa, Michael (December 7, 2015). "Markham's Faulknor makes cut for Canada in Mexico soccer tourney". Markham Economist & Sun.
  18. ↑ "Sinclair leads Canada past Mexico in friendly". TSN. December 9, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Ontario's Kennedy Faulknor Named U-17 Canadian Player Of The Year". Ontario Soccer Association. December 14, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Final 20-Player Rosters Announced for CONCACAF Women's Under-17 Championship Grenada 2016". CONCACAF. March 2, 2016. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Canada w17 secures spot in CONCACAF semis". SIRC. March 7, 2016.
  22. ↑ Fanfair, Ron (August 24, 2017). "Faulknor back in action after lengthy layoff". RonFanfair.
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