McMINNVILLE, Ore —
Kristie Elliott made history on Saturday when she kicked an extra point for Simon Fraser University in the second quarter of its NCAA football game, becoming the first Canadian female to play in, and score in, a college football game. She scored two points in the game on converts.
Elliott converted her first extra point at the end of the half after SFU scored on quarterback
Justin Seiber's 1-yard touchdown pass to
Caelin Johnson. Elliott came on to kick the extra point, the first time she has played in a game. Elliott has been on the SFU roster since 2019.
Read Elliott's story on VarsityLetters.ca
"I am so thankful that I finally got the opportunity to kick," said Elliott. "It's a big weight lifted off my shoulders to have my first game in the books. The nerves got to me a bit during the game but now I can take what I have learned from today and use it to become a more confident kicker for future games."
"It is super exciting and I'm so proud of myself that I was able to achieve this milestone as a Canadian woman! I'm grateful that I'm viewed as a trailblazer and I hope that my story is able to inspire female athletes to go after their goals and dreams," continued Elliott. "Above all, I am thankful that I can contribute to my team! I give my all to them when I'm out there. Without my teammates and coaching staff constantly believing and supporting me, I wouldn't have been able to achieve this success."
While many females have played in, and scored in, a college football game at various levels in the United States, Elliott is the first female to accomplish this in Canada. The University of Manitoba, which plays in Canada's U Sports collegiate organization, had a female player on its roster in 2019, but Reina Iizuka did not step on the field during a game during her Manitoba playing career. Elliott was also on the roster of SFU in 2019 but did not play in a game.
Linfield, which competes in Division III in the NCAA, was leading 25-0 when SFU scored the touchdown converted by Elliott. She also converted a touchdown scored in the final minute by SFU. That score came on a Seiber-to-Johnson 11-yard touchdown.
In fact, Seiber and
Caelin Johnson connected on all three touchdowns for SFU on 1-, 11- and 63-yard passes. SFU's touchdowns came at the end of the first half and late in the fourth quarter.
The SFU record for TD catches in a game is five.
Linfield scored 10 points in the first quarter, 15 in the second quarter and broke the game wide open with a 31-point third quarter. SFU lost the game 56-20.
SFU quarterback
Justin Seiber went 26-of-43 for 297 yards. SFU had -11 yards rushing.
Top receivers for SFU were
Caelin Johnson with 9 catches for 193 yards,
Riley Morrison with 11 receptions for 87 yards and
Dallas Dixon with 3 catches for 44 yards. The SFU record for reception yards in a game is 294. Johnson's 193 yards receiving sits just outside the top 10.
The longest SFU pass completion was the 63-yarder from Seiber to Johnson on the score.
The leading tackler for SFU was
Griffin Barrett with 12 tackles, nine solo and three assists.
--SFU_Athletics--
