VICTORIA – The Canadian junior women's national field hockey team made history over the weekend, capping off an undefeated run at the 2021 Pan American Games, taking home a gold medal thanks to Vikes Anna Mollenhauer scoring the game's only goal.

Mollenhauer and Vikes teammates Stefanie Sajko and Nora Struchtrup helped team Canada book its ticket to the Junior World Cup, marking the first time in history that a Canadian junior team, men or women, has won the Junior Pan Am Championships.

With a win over Chile in the semifinals, Canada had already secured their berth to the 2021 Junior World Cup. They came into the finals riding high off the semi-final win and carried the momentum into the gold medal match. The 2019 U SPORTS MVP Mollenhauer sent a rocket past Uruguay's goalkeeper to give Canada the lead and ultimately the win.

"It was a surreal feeling when we punched our Jr. World Cup ticket with a win in the semifinals against Chile. Our team had spent the entire summer together training in Vancouver to prepare for the Pan Ams, so it was extremely special to get the win and qualify with such an amazing group of girls and coaching staff," said Mollenhauer.

"A Canadian team has not qualified since 2012, and no Canadian team has ever won the Junior Pan American Championships, so the fact that we made history is still pretty crazy to me and may take a little while longer to kick in."

Winning seven of the previous eight iterations of this event, Argentina holds the top spot as the most dominant team at the junior level. While Canada came in as the underdog, the coaching staff ensured the athletes trust the process, hoping their training would pay off.

The training did pay off, and the scene after the final whistle was pandemonium—tears of joy, hugs and celebration.

It was a special moment for Mollenhauer, who will not compete at the Jr. World Cup this December due to aging out of the junior ranks. Her mother, Vikes field hockey legend Nancy Mollenhauer was with team Canada in Chile as the manager, getting the opportunity to see her daughter score the winning goal against Uruguay.

"It was very special having my mom there, and I feel very fortunate that she was able to be down in Chile with us as no other parents were allowed to go. My parents have been my biggest supporters and inspirations throughout my entire life, so I feel like it's fitting that she played such a major role in this historical moment for field hockey in Canada; this is certainly a unique memory that both of us will share for the rest of our lives."

All three Vikes are back this season looking for another championship. The season kicks off at home with a round-robin tournament starting October 1.