GAINESVILLE, Fla. —
Deanne Rose scored her first goal as a Florida Gator in her very first game as a freshman in 2017. No big deal. That's because she scored her first Olympic goal in 2016 as a 17-year-old about to start her final year at Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic in Ontario.
Let that sink in.
Rose, in fact, will be chasing her second Olympic medal this month when she suits up for the Canadian National Team at Tokyo. When Canada defeated Brazil 2-1 in the 2016 bronze-medal match, Rose scored the game's first goal and then assisted on the game-winner. By achieving the former, Rose became the youngest player to score in Olympic women's soccer history.
Can she top that? Who knows? But Rose will be delighted to try, especially after a nagging hamstring injury limited her senior-year availability at Florida during the COVID-split season of 2020-21. She played just four of eight matches in the fall, though she did score the first goal of the season in the Gators' opener against Georgia, and added the assist on the overtime golden goal in a defeat of Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
When the season resumed in the spring, a healthy Rose played five matches before national team duties called (and missing the final match) to begin preparations with the Olympic squad, for which she'll team alongside former Gator Adriana Leon, who played at UF in 2012.
So make that two Olympic appearances by the age of 22? Not bad.
Two Olympic medals by 22? Well, that would be even better.
Deanne Rose was the 2017 SEC Freshman of the Year for the Gators. (Photo: Eric Glemser/UAA Communications)
AT A GLANCE
Deanne Rose
SPORT: Women's soccer
HOW SHE QUALIFIED: Rose was selected to Canada's senior national team in December 2015 at the age of 16 and was a key member of the squad that survived the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship, including a two-goal performance in a 5-0 victory against Guyana, that sent her to the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. In 2019, Rose was named to the FIFA Women's World Cup squad, basically assuring her of an Olympic spot, and (basically) making her a fixture of Canadian women's soccer for the last nearly seven years.
TOKYO SCHEDULE: Canada will play in Group E (one of three groups) and open play July 21 against host Japan at Sapporo. The match is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. EST. Group play runs through July 27, followed by the quarterfinals (July 30), semifinals (Aug. 2), then the bronze and gold medal matches on Aug. 5.
UF CAREER: Started 38 of 53 games over her four seasons (2017-21), totaling 19 goals, nine assists and 47 points, highlighted by a stellar 2017 freshman campaign when she was named SEC Freshman of the Year and first-team All-SEC.
NEED TO KNOW: Rose enjoys a good game of chess in her spare time.
QUOTE OF NOTE: "The lesson of this last year is you have to control what you can control and you have to be ready when you're called upon. That was something that I learned in Rio. It doesn't matter what your role is, you have to be ready to perform. No matter your age, no matter your status, anything like that, you're part of this team." — Rose on COVID-chaotic 2020 that pushed the Olympics back a year.
Previously: "Gators in the Olympics" Series
June 26:
Cory McGee
June 27:
Michelle Moultrie
June 28:
Natalie Hinds
June 29:
Adriana Leon
June 30:
Enzo Martinez-Scarpe
July 1:
Kieran Smith
July 2:
Genevieve LaCaze Gregson
July 3:
Will Claye
July 4:
Mark Kolozsvary
July 5:
Marife Torres
July 6:
Aubree Munro
July 7:
Leanne Wong
July 8:
Hakim Sani Brown
