This teenage lacrosse player from Kanehsatà:ke is making history breaking into men's league

Ava Gabriel is one of the the first women in the Ontario Lacrosse Association to play for a junior men's team as an offensive player. But she says breaking the gender barrier wasn’t something she was planning on doing. But she says breaking the gender barrier wasn’t something she was planning on doing.

CORRECTION (May 29, 2025): A previous version of this video stated that Ava Gabriel was the first woman in the Ontario Lacrosse Association to play for a junior men's team as a non-goalie, when in fact another athlete had previously accomplished this feat. The video has been edited to reflect this.

»»» Subscribe to CBC News to watch more videos

Connect with CBC News Online:

For breaking news, video, audio and indepth coverage

Follow CBC News on TikTok

Follow CBC News on Twitter

Subscribe to CBC News on Snapchat

Download the CBC News app for iOS

Download the CBC News app for Android

»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

For more than 80 years, CBC News has been the source Canadians turn to, to keep them informed about their communities, their country and their world. Through regional and national programming on multiple platforms, including CBC Television, CBC News Network, CBC Radio, CBCNews.ca, mobile and on-demand, CBC News and its internationally recognized team of award-winning journalists deliver the breaking stories, the issues, the analyses and the personalities that matter to Canadians.