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London, Ont.'s Jessie Fleming surprises young soccer fan with sweet gift

A number 17 jersey from Canada's Women's National Team gifted to a young girl in Ottawa, Ont. by Jessie Fleming. (Source: Nigel Wallis) A number 17 jersey from Canada's Women's National Team gifted to a young girl in Ottawa, Ont. by Jessie Fleming. (Source: Nigel Wallis)
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Middlesex Centre, Ont. -

A young girl watching Canada's gold-medal winning women's national soccer team play in Ottawa on Saturday got a big surprise from midfielder Jessie Fleming.

After the game, Nigel Wallis and his daughter, nine-year-old Logan -- who was wearing a replica of Fleming's number 17 jersey -- were at the sidelines waving a Canadian flag.

Wallis tweeted that's when Fleming, "ran all the way across the field to the dugout, and all the way back to ask whether our daughter wanted her jersey. So incredibly kind."

Canada's national team had just concluded a match against New Zealand (which they won 5-1) as part of their Gold Medal Celebration Tour.

Wallis tells CTV News London his daughter, who plays rec level soccer, "was really excited to see the team -- professional female athletes -- in person."

The family had watched avidly as Canada's women's team took home the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo.

And after Fleming said it was nice to meet her, Wallis says, "Our kid was sort of awestruck in muteness…"

Wallis tweeted that his daughter slept in the jersey all night.

He says it was "just really sweet of a pro athlete to notice a kid [among] the fans and then to take the time and energy from all the things she has to do post-match (cool down stretching, rehydrate, grab dry clothes, etc.) to make our daughter’s day/week/month. It was very kind of her."

And he encourages everyone to head out and catch a game as part of the team's tour and support the growth of women's soccer.

"The team is awesome, games are super fun, and they’ll have a great time celebrating the historic gold while supporting the team for the future."

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