MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Rising West Virginia University women’s soccer seniors Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence were named to the 20-player roster for the Canada Women’s National Soccer Team’s Road to Rio home-match series against Brazil.

 

The two-game series will be played on Saturday, June 4, in Toronto, and Tuesday, June 7, in Ottawa. The first match will kick at 4 p.m. from BMO Field, while the second contest will be held at TD Place and will kick at 7 p.m.

 

“Playing against Brazil is a true tier-one test,” Canada coach John Herdman said in the team’s official roster press release. “Their attacking style and prowess is something we are going to have to be able to cope with defensively, but at the same time, as a group, we have to find a way to win against a team that will be one of the favorites to medal in Brazil this summer.”

 

Buchanan, a center back, and Lawrence, a midfielder, have been mainstays on the Canadian National Team for more than two years, earning starting nods in each of the team’s five games at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Buchanan was named the tournament’s Best Young Player, while Lawrence tallied the squad’s lone goal in a 1-1 tie against Netherlands in group play.

 

The three-time reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Buchanan, a native of Brampton, Ontario, is the reigning BMO Canadian Player of the Year and a member of the first-ever FIFPro Women’s World XI Team; she was the youngest athlete named to the inaugural team. Collegiately, the three-time NSCAA All-American earned the 2015 Soccer News Net Women’s College Boot Award and was a finalist for the 2015 Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy.

 

Lawrence, a native of Toronto, was a semifinalist for the 2015 MAC Hermann Trophy. The three-time All-Big 12 First Team honoree also is an NSCAA All-America.