HSB26: NCAA-bound Naomi Lofthouse goes from community soccer to international/pro levels all in Ottawa

By Anfal Hanif

“I’ve never tried to hide the fact that it is my intention to become the best.”

The quote, attributed to Cristiano Ronaldo, hung on Naomi Lofthouse’s bedroom wall when she was around 10 years old.

For most children, it might have been just another motivational quote, but for Lofthouse, it became something more.

Her mom, Emily, believes that her daughter’s desire to compete is the #1 trait that’s propelled her onto NCAA, international and professional soccer opportunities.

“She always wanted to win,” reflects Emily. “But more than that, she really hated to lose.”

Lofthouse’s competitiveness, physicality and athleticism allowed her to stand out in sport from a young age, although the mentality extended elsewhere too. Whether it was school or any challenge placed in front of her, she approached it with an intensity that often separated her from her peers.

During the presentation for her middle school’s athlete of the year award, Emily remembers Lofthouse’s Grade 8 teacher unknowingly summing up the trait that had already come to define her.

“He said, ‘I’m giving this award to an athlete who doesn’t just want to win… this individual hates to lose,’ and as soon as he said that, I knew it was Naomi,” recalls Emily, who adds that her daughter is also well-served by being funny, focused and adventurous.

There was lots of winning to come as Lofthouse began high school at John McCrae, where she was part of the high performance athletics program to help her navigate an increasingly demanding schedule, as showcases, provincial competitions and national team camps became regular parts of her life.

Lofthouse’s competitive mindset was an excellent fit with Ottawa South United Soccer Club, which she credits for helping her develop the habits and discipline necessary to excel in provincial and national pathways through its challenging environment.

Her OSU Force U14 girls’ team was utterly dominant in the Ontario Player Development League in 2022, capturing league and Charity Shield playoff championships and winning each contest by an average of nearly four goals.

Captain Lofthouse was then recruited alongside three teammates to join the Canadian women’s program’s National Development Centre, but that move didn’t work out.

“I had kind of just given up everything to play in Toronto and moved to a new city,” Lofthouse recounts. “It was a big change coming home.”

While it was initially disappointing to be leave the NDC fold, Lofthouse’s return to Ottawa wound up producing several more unforgettable moments in her burgeoning career.

She was part of a select six-player OSU U16 squad that represented Canada and went undefeated to win the 2024 Gatorade Global 5v5 Finals in London, U.K.

“It really showed me how many experiences and connections soccer can give you,” Lofthouse notes. “I met tons of people from different countries.”

That was just the start of Lofthouse’s international experiences as she worked her way onto the Canadian roster for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

“To see her in Morocco, wearing the Canadian jersey and representing her country, was honestly one of the most incredible moments for us as a family,” Emily signals. “We were there supporting her, and it felt surreal watching everything she had worked for come together on that stage.”

Canada won four games in a row over Nigeria, Samoa, France and Zambia at the event before falling in the quarterfinals to Brazil 5-4 on penalties.

Lofthouse kept a journal throughout the tournament, documenting her thoughts before matches and reflecting on the significance of the moment.

“I think I would have regretted treating the World Cup like any other experience,” says the midfielder/defender. “I’m glad I was able to take the time to be proud of myself, realize how cool that was and see the bigger picture.”

Joining her on Team Canada was fellow OSU product and NDC player Mya Angus, plus another instrumental figure in Lofthouse’s soccer journey, Molly Hale from Futuro Academy.

Lofthouse first played coed soccer at age six, but she stepped away for a few years to explore other activities, including hockey and horseback riding. It was Hale who brought her back.

“My best friend from kindergarten, Molly Hale, she was playing soccer,” Lofthouse details, “so I decided to kind of give it another go, and that’s when I fell in love with it again.”

Hale and Lofthouse are now among many players from a golden generation of Ottawa soccer set to join university women’s soccer programs this fall.

Lofthouse will be playing NCAA soccer at Northwestern University, while Hale will join the University of California, Los Angeles.

Angus, who was valedictorian at the NDC’s partner Bill Crothers Secondary School, is headed to Arizona State University, where she’ll find fellow OSU product Ella Kettles.

Felicia Hanisch followed a similar path as Lofthouse to the NDC and then back home. The University of British Columbia-bound midfielder is now one of many local players set join Canadian U Sports schools next fall.

Also heading south is Reese Kay, a fellow defender who will join Felicia’s older sister Bianca Hanisch as well as fellow past Force player Rosa Maalouf with the Purdue University Boildermakers.

And Cindy Yang, who led the Quebec Ligue 1 women’s division last year as a 16-year-old, will join Yale University.

Lofthouse, naturally, is keen to join a winning program with the Northwestern Wildcats near Chicago in Evanston, Illinois. The Big Ten conference school lost just four times in 21 games last season.

She’ll be studying journalism, with an eye on becoming a broadcaster for a major sports network. Lofthouse also envisions pursuing future opportunities to play in Europe.

Her first chance to play in a professional league was an unforgettable experience in her hometown.

When Ottawa Rapid FC launched last season, she started training with the new Northern Super League club as a development player.

“It was just the best experience,” indicates the Ottawa Sports Awards’ 2025 soccer player of the year. “I grew so much as a player through that.”

It didn’t take very long for her Rapid debut to come. In front of 7,000 fans for the team’s debut at TD Place, the staff asked her to start warming up in the 83rd minute, and suddenly she was being called in to replace none other than Desiree Scott shortly after the 2021 Olympic champ had scored the decisive goal in the opener.

“She’s just a legend in Canadian soccer and in Canada in general. And also just the coolest person I’ve ever met,” Lofthouse smiles. “She got the hugest applause from the crowd. It just made the environment going onto the field so cool. I’d never experienced anything like that before.”

Emily says it was “unbelievable to watch” the moment rich in symbolism, as Scott – who was part of the generation that made it possible for women’s pro soccer to exist in Canada – made way for a rising local talent.

As special and meaningful as the moment was, there was only one thing in Lofthouse’s mind that could make it better.

“We got a win against Toronto in that game that I made my debut,” Naomi highlights, true to form. “That made everything a little sweeter.”

Read More of our 2026 High School Best Series as we tip our caps to top local student-athletes at: OttawaSportsPages.ca/Ottawa-High-School-Best-2026