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Buchanan Finalist for FIFA Player of the Year
October 19, 2015 12:19 PM | Women's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University junior defender Kadeisha Buchanan is among 10 players shortlisted for the 2015 Ballon d’Or award as the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year.
Buchanan, a native of Brampton, Ontario, is the lone defender on the list and the only athlete under the age of 20. A member of the Full Canadian National Team, she was named the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Best Young Player in July.
“There are no words to describe how proud I am of Kadeisha and this nomination,” said Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “There is no higher award in soccer than the Ballon d’Or Award, and for Kadeisha to be on the shortlist speaks to her talent and hard work.”
The award recognizes the play of an athlete between Nov. 22, 2014 and Nov. 20, 2015. The 10 finalists were selected by experts from FIFA’s Committee for Women’s Football and the FIFA Women’s World Cup, as well as a group of experts from France Soccer.
The captains and head coaches of the women’s national teams, as well as international media representatives selected by FIFA, will cast votes for the final selection. The winner will be announced at the FIFA Ballon d’Or as part of a televised show at the Zurich Kongresshaus on Jan. 11, 2016.
The Canadians’ starting center back for all five matches at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015, Buchanan helped her team advance to the quarterfinals for the second time in six tries. Canada was eliminated in the round of eight following a 2-1 defeat to eventual third-place finisher England on June 27.
In addition to her Best Young Player honor, Buchanan was one of seven defenders named to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 All-Star Squad. She also is the two-time reigning Canadian U-20 Player of the Year.
A two-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-American, Buchanan has led the No. 2/3-ranked WVU women’s soccer team to a 14-1-1 record this season. The Mountaineer defense has allowed only four goals, two since the team’s lone loss, a 2-1 defeat to No. 11/13 Virginia Tech on Aug. 23, and posted 13 shutouts, one short of matching the program record of 14, first set in 2010.
A candidate for the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy Award Watch List, Buchanan is the two-time reigning Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year. She has earned the conference’s weekly honor twice this season and also is ranked No. 1 on the TopDrawerSoccer.com Preseason and Midseason Top 100 Lists.
Buchanan shows three points (1 G, 1 A) on the season. She tallied the team’s game winner in a 2-0 victory at No. 15 Ohio State on Sept. 11.
Most recently, WVU posted back-to-back shutouts in its final homestand of the season at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, defeating Kansas, 6-0, on Oct. 16, and Iowa State, 4-0, on Oct. 18. Buchanan assisted on Michaela Abam’s goal against the Cyclones.
WVU concludes its 2015 regular season with two straight Big 12 Conference Friday night road matches. The Mountaineers open the trip with a contest at Oklahoma State on Friday, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m. ET.
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