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Huitema, from Chilliwack, B.C., announced in January that was forgoing college to turn pro. She finished high school the same month.

“It wasn’t just difficult with all the pro teams, school or pro in itself was a very difficult decision for me,” Huitema said in an interview. “School was very very important to me growing up … That’s why it was so a hard decision to go off of that path and start creating my own path and kind of paving the way for younger kids to see two options instead of one.

“So that was the whole goal — to be the first-ever female soccer player in Canada to go pro straight out of high school, just trying to pave what could be a bumpy road a little smoother for the next kid to come through and do the same thing.”

Huitema made two guest appearances for PSG at the International Champions Cup last July. The French club is also home to fellow Canadian international Ashley Lawrence.

Huitema said she chose PSG for “the atmosphere of the club, the players, France, Paris itself — such a football-driven country.”

“I’m just super-excited to get there and start playing with these girls.”

Huitema first trained with the national team at 14. She made her senior debut at 15 at the Algarve Cup in March 2017 and drew more attention three months later as a 16-year-old, scoring twice off the bench against Costa Rica.

In January 2018, she won the Golden Boot as top scorer at the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship in Trinidad and Tobago. In April and June, serving as captain, she helped Canada qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Uruguay, where she scored three goals in helping Canada to a fourth-place finish in December.