MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University women's soccer alums Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence were nominated to represent Canada in women's soccer at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games from July 21-Aug. 6, announced Wednesday.
 
Buchanan and Lawrence are part of an 18-player nomination list and are set to make their second career appearances on the Canadian Olympic roster. The duo became the first Mountaineer women's soccer student-athletes to be named to an Olympic team in 2016.
 
"I am so proud of how Kadeisha and Ashley continue to develop at the highest level in their profession," WVU coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "It is so exciting to see them have the opportunity to represent their country and West Virginia University in their second career Olympics."
 
Canada, the reigning back-to-back Olympic bronze medalists, will kick off their Tokyo 2020 journey against Japan in the opening match in Sapporo on July 21, at 6:30 p.m. ET. The squad next faces Chile on July 24, at 3:30 p.m., before wrapping up the group stage against Great Britain in Kashima on July 27, at 7 p.m.
 
From 12 nations in three different groups, the top-eight nations advance to quarterfinals, with the top two from each of the groups joined by the two third-place finishers. The quarterfinal winners will advance to the semifinals, with the winners playing in the Gold Medal Final at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium and the other two semifinalists playing for the Bronze medal.
 
Buchanan, a native of Brampton, Ontario, Canada, and Lawrence, a Caledon East, Ontario, Canada, native, have been members of the Canadian Women's National Team for nearly a decade. The pair helped Canada qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship in Texas and California in January 2020. The qualification marks Canada's fourth consecutive Olympic berth in women's soccer.
 
As seniors at WVU, Buchanan and Lawrence led the Mountaineers to their first-ever Women's College Cup appearance, advancing to the College Cup final in San Jose, California, in 2016. The duo collected numerous accolades during their careers at WVU, including National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America honors and Senior CLASS Award All-American distinction. Buchanan was named espnW National Player of the Year, and she became to first Mountaineer in program history to win the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy.
 
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