MISSISSAUGA — That winning the Canadian Soccer Association's female under-17 player of the year award was Sura Yekka's second-biggest accomplishment of 2013 speaks volumes about her future.

That's not to say the 16-year-old fullback from Meadowvale isn't proud of the achievement. It just pales in comparison to being called up to the senior national team for the first time.

"It had never really crossed my mind until I received that award, but obviously being on the national team surpasses everything," said Yekka, who returned from Brazil a few weeks ago after representing Canada in a series of friendly matches.

"I was with the national team in Brazil and some people told me (about the U-17 award) and I wasn't expecting it. I was just so focused in Brazil that I didn't think about it until after; then I thought it was nice."

Yekka, a Grade 11 student at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary School, was first called up to the national team for a pair of exhibition matches against South Korea and Mexico in Edmonton in late October.

She earned the invite after impressing scouts at an under-20 camp in July. A month later, she was named a tournament all-star at the Canada Games.

She's still getting used to the national team experience and vividly remembers her first game, on Oct. 30.

"First of all, it was really cold and I was really nervous," she said. "I couldn't believe it was actually happening. I tried to calm down and tell myself it's just another game. I felt better and more relaxed in the second game against Mexico, but it still feels like it's all still clicking in."

After the game, national team coach John Herdman said Yekka was a "bright spot" on the team.

Yekka, who's committed to the University of Michigan for 2015, feels her biggest asset is her speed, an element she acquired through many years as a track athlete specializing in 400- and 800-metre events.