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The junior women's national water polo team, including Scarborough's Sarah McIlveen, struck gold at the Youth Pan American Games in Sao Paulo, Brazil recently - and wrote some history in doing so.

The Grade 11 Cedarbrae Collegiate student was a key cog in the wheel throughout the tournament and opened the scoring in the championship game - which they won 13-7 - against a dangerous American team after falling back by two in the early going.

It's the first ever Pan Am Games title for the junior women's side.

The team, which went undefeated throughout - it tied the U.S. 4-4 in round robin action - was a bucket of nerves in the opener to Mexico, but it quickly found its form and settled in.

"It was pretty nerve-racking actually, everyone was like 'oh, no'," said McIlveen, 16, a York Mavericks Water Polo Club member, about the turbulent start to the tournament. "We had some opportunities but we just couldn't score."

That was until the Scarborough native, who won a silver medal earlier this year in the 100 IM at OFSAA, set the scoring tone an agonizing six minutes in.

Virtually the entire team, led by Winnipeg's Breda Vosters, made it on to the score sheet and played effective roles, she said.

"Everyone helped out. There was no weak link. Everyone was strong, and our goalies were amazing."

The Pan Am title win, which perhaps compensates for the junior men's side giving up the gold medal in a 13-12 championship squeaker to the U.S. at the same event, marks the official end of the season for the junior women's program.

It also means the team has punched its ticket to the world championships, which takes place in Russia next July.

"We were kind of hoping for tougher competition, but we went into it confident that we were going to win it," she said of the expectations going in.

McIlveen, a two-metre guard who made her second national team appearance at the Pan Am Games, said the bar has been set high for the junior program. The team is being counted on in the years ahead.

Since the senior women's team missed out on qualifying for the Olympics in Beijing the national program is making a push with its younger prospects for the 2012 Games.

"They're really pushing us because we didn't make it this year," she said, "so we're the ones they are hoping will put Canada back to the top."

The season may be done for now, but its members will continue to train with their respective club programs.

The team will meet in Montreal several times before the world championships next summer.