Geri Donnelly is probably best known for scoring the first ever goal for Canada's national women's soccer team back in 1986.
But when the Coquitlam resident discusses her career highlights, she is most proud of being one of the early pioneers for a program that has grown into one of the country's greatest sports success stories.
"I think the legacy for all of us is that the program is so successful now," she said. "We were all part of that. We sacrificed for this game There is such pride in seeing the team today and seeing what they have accomplished."
Donnelly, who was inducted into the Soccer Hall of Fame last week, said Canada's program was nowhere near as evolved as it is today when she joined up in 1986.
The team, which was made up of players chosen from their provincial squad, had only been practising together for about 10 days before their first international event against the U.S.
Despite a seven-hour bus ride from Winnipeg to Minnesota, Canada came out strong against the home squad.
Donnelly made history in the match when she scored the club's first goal. Later in the game she added a second in the 2-1 victory.
"A lot of people focus on those goals," she said. "At the time, we just wanted to win."
It would not be the only time that Donnelly had success on the international stage.
She scored three times against the USSR in 1990 and notched another goal against Jamaica in 1994.
The next year, she competed in the FIFA Women's World Cup in Sweden, adding to her point tally with markers against England and Nigeria.
But Donnelly believes that women's soccer really began to make strides following the 1999 World Cup in the U.S.
"In 1995 in Sweden, it wasn't well attended," she said. "[The U.S. in 1999] felt like an international event. You felt like after that, the game was going to explode and it did."
Today, the program has more funding and there are more resources available to the players. The team is currently ranked eighth in the world, in the mix with soccer powerhouses like the United States, England and Brazil.
"They've really started to realize that the women can be successful," she said. "Let's try and give them as many resources as we can."
Donnelly said she was surprised when she got word that she would be inducted to the Soccer Hall of Fame. She was recently honoured as part of the 2014 induction class, along with names like Carmine Marcantino, Isabelle Morneau and another Coquitlam athlete, Chris Bennett.
"Nobody ever expects it," she said. "It came as a total surprise."
Donnelly has also been active in local soccer.
She played in the Women's Premier Soccer League with the Vancouver Angels and remained with the club when they moved to the W-League and amalgamate with the Whitecaps.
With the Coquitlam Strikers, she won national championships in 1990 and 1994 and third with Surrey Untied in 2006.
She was also the Women's Player of the Year in 1996 and 1999 and named to Canada's all-time women's team in 2012.
