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The NCAA Division I women’s soccer tournament starts this Friday with 48 Canadian women from 26 different schools involved.
Of particular interest on the list are five Canadian seniors who have played for the full women’s national team in 2013: Jonelle Filigno, Shelina Zadorsky, Rachel Melhado, Danica Wu and Chelsea Stewart.
Based on recent comments from Canadian head coach John Herdman, Filigno is the only one from this group of seniors that seems likely to receive an NWSL allocation spot for 2014. With the reality of the NWSL being that there are only 16 guaranteed spots for Canadians, the rest of these seniors will most likely have to look elsewhere in 2014 for professional playing opportunities if they so wish. The NCAA tournament represents one last time these seniors can showcase their skill before the job hunt begins.
Nkem Ezurike, another bright CanWNT prospect, has become Michigan’s all time leading scorer this season as a senior. Ezurike, who was most recently called into an under 23 EXCEL camp last February, is yet to be called up to the full CanWNT squad. There’s no doubt she will be looking to impress Canada’s coaching staff this month.
Three freshman who have played for the CanWNT in 2013 will feature in the tournament: Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence of West Virginia, and Nichelle Prince of Ohio State. Buchanan has received a lot of attention this fall for her level of play, having been called “one of the best centre backs in the country” by Anson Dorrance, who has won the NCAA women’s soccer title 21 times while coaching the University of North Carolina.
Louisiana State University failed to reach the NCAA tournament this November, a school with three young CanWNT prospects, freshmen Summer Clarke, Emma Fletcher and Rebecca Pongetti. We will have to wait until next year to see these three compete on North America’s highest university soccer stage.
The full NCAA tournament bracket and schedule can be found here: http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/soccer-women/d1.
The full list of Canadian women is below:
Saint Francis
Sabrina LaMantia- Goalkeeper, Junior
Penn State
Lexi Marton- Defender, Senior
Michigan
Shelina Zadorsky- Defender, Senior
Nkem Ezurike- Forward, Senior
Louisville
Angelika Uremovich- Midfielder, Senior
Nicole Mitchell- Midfielder, Senior
Zakiya McIntosh- Forward, Junior
Julie Casselman- Midfielder, Senior
Rachel Melhado- Defender, Senior
Christine Exeter- Forward, Senior
Iowa
Mackenzie Guindon- Defender, Sophomore
Cloe Lacasse- Forward, Junior
Marquette
Vanessa Legault-Cordisco- Midfielder, Senior
Virginia Tech
Dayle Colpitts- Goalkeeper, Senior
UMBC
Lauren Kadet- Goalkeeper, Senior
Rutgers
Jonelle Filigno- Forward, Senior
Samantha Valliant- Midfielder, Sophomore
Amy Pietrangelo- Midfielder, Junior
West Virginia
Caroline Szwed- Midfielder, Senior
Ashley Lawrence- Midfielder, Freshman
Kadeisha Buchanan- Defender, Freshman
Central Florida
Kayla Adamek- Midfielder, Freshman
Colorado College
Carina Lauzon- Forward, Sophomore
Duke
Rebecca Quinn- Midfielder, Freshman
Jacksonville
Ashley Poirier- Midfielder, Sophomore
UCLA
Chelsea Stewart- Defender, Senior
Ohio State
Nichelle Prince- Forward, Freshman
Danica Wu- Midfielder, Senior
South Carolina
Gabrielle Gilbert- Midfielder, Senior
Sabrina D’Angelo- Goalkeeper, Sophomore
Utah
Stephanie Lemeza- Midfielder, Senior
Indiana
Jessie Bujouves- Midfielder, Sophomore
Marissa Borschke- Defender, Freshman
DePaul
Natasa Radosavlijevic- Forward, Senior
Liberty
Crystal Elmers- Forward, Sophomore
Dawn Elmers- Defender, Senior
Nebraska
Katie Kraeutner- Forward, Sophomore
Southeastern Louisiana
Gisenia Utreras- Midfielder, Sophomore
Hope Sabadash- Goalkeeper, Freshman
Maddie Allen- Defender, Sophomore
Shanyce Shaw- Defender, Senior
Northeastern
Jill Quinn- Goalkeeper, Freshman
Washington State
Gurveen Clair- Goalkeeper, Junior
Nicole Setterlund- Midfielder, Junior
Jackson State
Quiona McAdam- Defender, Freshman
Raquel Araujo- Midfielder, Junior
Jalana Ellis- Midfielder, Freshman
Katie Turney- Defender, Senior
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