Listen to this article
Estimated 3 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Hamilton’s Melissa Tancredi, who appeared in 125 games with Canada’s national women’s soccer team and scored 27 goals, is being inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame as part of its Class of 2026.
Tancredi, nicknamed Tanc, played on Team Canada from 2004 to 2017. In addition to her 27 goals, she added 15 assists, competing at the Olympics and World Cup each three times. The strong forward helped her team to bronze medals at the Olympics in London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
She captained the University of Notre Dame’s women’s team to the United States university championship in 2004 and played for several club teams in Canada, the U.S. and Sweden.
Canada Soccer will celebrate Tancredi’s induction later this year at a national home team match. The national soccer body announced the honour on Saturday, saying former national men’s team player Julian de Guzman would also be inducted this year.
Melissa Tancredi of Canada and Rafaelle of Brazil battle for the ball during the Women’s Olympic Football Bronze Medal match between Brazil and Canada at Arena Corinthians on August 19, 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Alexandre Schneider/Getty)
“Beyond their on-field achievements, Julian and Melissa served as ambassadors for the game, inspiring teammates, supporters and role models to the next generation of Canadian players,” said Peter Augruso, Canada Soccer president, in a release.
“Their legacies extend well beyond results, leaving an enduring impact on the culture, credibility, and ambition of Canadian soccer. Their induction into the Hall of Fame is a fitting tribute to their remarkable careers, and to the leadership, character, and lasting legacy they leave behind.”
Tancredi went to Cathedral high, Ancaster pitch named after her
Tancredi grew up in Ancaster, starting soccer at age 4, according to the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame, which inducted her in 2023. There is a soccer pitch named after her at the Robert E. Wade Ancaster Community Park.
Before heading to Notre Dame, from which she graduated in 2005, Tancredi went to Cathedral High School in the lower city. Her sister would later work there as a teacher. At the school’s 100th birthday celebration in 2012, former school principal Sara Cannon told CBC Hamilton that Tancredi was one of the institution’s best-known alumni.
Melissa Tancredi was a stalwart on the Canadian National Team for more than a decade. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)
“The whole world saw Melissa leading on the field,” Cannon said of Tancredi’s performance at the London Olympics that year. “We are so proud of her.”
That year, Tancredi won the Golden Horseshoe’s Athlete of the Year award, also known as the Bill Stirrup Award. Recent winners of that award include basketball star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and hockey player Sarah Nurse.
After the London games, the soccer star took two years off to complete her chiropractic degree. Tancredi is now 44, and co-owner of the Workshop Performance Clinic in Vancouver, a multidisciplinary sports performance and recovery clinic. She has also been a chiropractor with Canada Soccer for the last eight years.