Evelyne Viens smashes Canadian record for goals in Damallsvenskan

Forward Evelyne Viens from L’Ancienne-Lorette, Québec scored two more goals on Saturday to finish as the Damallsvenskan’s second-highest scorer in 2022, at the same time establishing a new record for most goals by a Canadian in Sweden’s top football league. The goals were her 20th and 21st of the season as Kristianstads DFF finished fourth overall in the league standings with 52 points from 16 wins, four draws and just six losses in 26 matches.

This was Viens’ first season in the Damallsvenskan, having previously played professional football in the National Women’s Soccer League and France’s Division 1. She is currently in her second international season with Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team, having won an Olympic Gold Medal in 2021.

Viens’ 21 goals in 26 league matches easily outdistanced the previous record of eight goals in 16 matches by Melissa Tancredi with KIF Örebro in 2016. Tancredi had also been the career Canadian leader with 10 goals across parts of two seasons from 2011 and 2016, but Viens’ 2022 totals easily broke that record, too.

Viens set the Canadian record on 19 June with her ninth goal of the season in a 1:0 win over Piteå IF. She later scored hat tricks on 10 September against AIK and 24 September against Djurgårdens IF. With 21 goals, she finished one goal back of league leader Amalie Vangsgaard of Linköping.