Vanessa Gilles

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Vanessa Gilles
Personal information
Full name Vanessa Brigitte Gilles[1]
Date of birth (1996-03-11) March 11, 1996 (age 25)
Place of birth Châteauguay, Quebec, Canada
Position(s) Defender
Club information
Current team
 Bordeaux
Number 4
Youth career
2012-2014 Ottawa Capital United SC
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2017 Cincinnati Bearcats 82 (17)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017 West Ottawa SC 9 (2)
2018 Apollon Limassol 11 (10)
2018– Bordeaux 58 (3)
National team‡
2018 France U23 1 (0)
2019– Canada 6 (0)
Honours
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of September 12, 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of July 7, 2021

Vanessa Brigitte Gilles (born March 11, 1996) is a Canadian soccer player who currently plays as a defender for Girondins de Bordeaux and the Canada national team.

Early career[]

Originally a tennis player, in her teenage years, Gilles quit the sport to switch to soccer. After briefly attempting to play as a goalkeeper, she became a defender.[2] She played for FC Capital United in Ottawa, Ontario, winning a league title in 2013. At the 2013 Canada Summer Games, she won a bronze medal with Team Ontario.[3]

She then played for the Cincinnati Bearcats in the United States from 2014 to 2017. She was named 2015 American Athletic Conference Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Tournament and, in 2016, became the first Bearcats women's athlete to earn all-conference first team accolades in both the preseason and postseason in American Athletic Conference history.[4] In 2017, she was named American Athletic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year. When she won an Olympic gold medal in 2021, she became the fifth athlete in Bearcats history to do so.[5]

Club career[]

2017: West Ottawa SC[]

In May 2017, Gilles joined League1 Ontario side West Ottawa SC. She scored 2 goals in 9 appearances in the regular season,[6] and was selected to the 2017 League1 Ontario All-Star third team.[7] She was also selected to represent League1 Ontario in the All-Star game against the Team Ontario squad competing in the 2017 Canada Games.[8][9]

2018: Apollon Limassol[]

In January 2018, Gilles signed a short-term contract with Cypriot First Division side Apollon Limassol.[10] She made her professional debut for the club on January 14, starting in a 1–1 draw with Anorthosis Famagusta.[7] She scored 10 goals in 11 appearances for the club in the regular season,[11] and made 3 appearances in the Cypriot Women's Cup tournament, helping Apollon Limassol win the final against Pyrgos Limassol on penalties.[12][13]

2018–present: Bordeaux[]

In July 2018, Gilles signed a two-year contract with Division 1 Féminine side Girondins de Bordeaux.[14][13] In May 2020, she signed a two-year extension with Bordeaux.[15]

International career[]

Although born in Quebec, Gilles was eligible to play for France as her father was born in Paris.[16] In November 2018, Gilles was called into the France U23 camp, and played for Les Bleues in a 5–2 victory against Belgium.[17]

On January 18, 2019, she made her unofficial debut for Canada in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Switzerland.[18] On November 10, she made her official debut in a 3–0 victory against New Zealand at the 2019 Yongchuan International Tournament.[19]

She was named to the Canadian national team for the 2020 Summer Olympics. She scored the decisive penalty shootout goal for Canada in the semi-finals against Brazil.[20] Although her penalty shootout attempt in the final of the tournament against Sweden hit the crossbar, Canada won the game and she would earn her first Olympic gold medal.[21]

Personal life[]

On March 20, 2019, Gilles spoke at the United Nations in New York City, as part of the 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women.[22]

For the first twelve years of her life, her family lived in Shanghai, before returning to Canada to live in Ottawa.[23] She graduated high school from École secondaire publique Louis-Riel and then graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati with a major in criminal justice and a minor in IT.[24][25]

Career statistics[]

Club[]

As of December 21, 2019.[26][27][28]
Club League Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
West Ottawa SC League1 Ontario 2017 9 2 — — — 9 2
Total 9 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 2
Apollon Limassol Cypriot First Division 2017–18 11 10 3 0 — — 14 10
Total 11 10 3 0 0 0 0 0 14 10
Girondins de Bordeaux D1 Féminine 2018–19 20 1 1 0 — — 21 1
2019–20 12 0 0 0 — — 12 0
Total 32 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 33 1
Career total 52 13 4 0 0 0 0 0 56 13

Honours[]

Club[]

Apollon Limassol

References[]

  1. ^ "Women's Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020 Squad Lists" (PDF). FIFA.
  2. ^ "Centre back Vanessa Gilles making case to be part of Canadian Olympic roster".
  3. ^ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/vanessa-gilles-former-coaches-gold-medal-1.6132864
  4. ^ "Vanessa Gilles - Women's Soccer".
  5. ^ "Vanessa Gilles, Canada Claim Gold Medal in Epic Win over Sweden".
  6. ^ "Vanessa Gilles". League1 Ontario. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "Four League1 Alumni Sign High-Profile Pro Contracts". League1 Ontario. February 6, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  8. ^ "Final Selection Announced For 2017 Women's All-Star Match Versus Canada Games' Team Ontario". League1 Ontario. July 25, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  9. ^ "2017 Women's League1 Ontario All-Stars Defeated In Penalties By Canada Games' Team Ontario". League1 Ontario. July 26, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  10. ^ "Gilles Signs Professional Contract with Apollon Ladies FC". University of Cincinnati Athletics. January 19, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  11. ^ Prusina, Sandra (May 20, 2019). "Vanessa Gilles took different path towards Canadian women's team". Sportsnet. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "APOLLON LIMASSOL VS. PYRGOS LIMASSOL 2 - 2". Soccerway. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Gilles Signs with Girondins de Bordeaux in French First Division". University of Cincinnati Athletics. July 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  14. ^ "Vanessa Gilles rejoint les Girondins" (in French). FC Girondins de Bordeaux. July 16, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  15. ^ "Vanessa Gilles obtient une prolongation à Bordeaux". May 26, 2020.
  16. ^ "Vanessa Gilles". Canada Soccer Association. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  17. ^ "Vanessa Gilles Receives Call From Canadian Women's National Team". University of Cincinnati Athletics. January 10, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  18. ^ Jobin, Jonathan (January 18, 2019). "Le début d'un rêve pour Vanessa Gilles avec l'équipe nationale". Radio-Canada.ca (in French). Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  19. ^ "Canada WNT win 3:0 over New Zealand to close out 2019 international season". Canada Soccer Association. November 10, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  20. ^ "Gilles, Labbe lift Canada to Olympic semifinal after penalty kicks win over Brazil". July 30, 2021.
  21. ^ "Canada win Olympic title after Julia Grosso sinks Sweden in shootout". August 6, 2021.
  22. ^ "Vanessa Gilles Speaks at UN-Women's Commission Event". University of Cincinnati Athletics. January 21, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  23. ^ "Vanessa Gilles, "globe-footeuse" de combats".
  24. ^ "La Franco-Ontarienne Vanessa Gilles championne olympique de soccer".
  25. ^ "Une franco d'Ottawa propulse le Canada en demi-finale". July 30, 2021.
  26. ^ "Vanessa Gilles". Soccerway. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  27. ^ "Vanessa Gilles". Cyprus Football Association. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  28. ^ "Vanessa Gilles". Footofeminin.fr (in French). Retrieved October 20, 2019.

External links[]

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