Four members of the LSU soccer team were named to their respective national teams this week for the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup from Aug. 5-24 in Canada.
All-SEC sophomore left back Megan Lee and freshman goalkeeper Lily Alfeld were named to the New Zealand U-20 roster Monday. All-SEC sophomore midfielder Emma Fletcher and freshman defender Jordane Carverywere added to Canada’s U-20 roster on Wednesday.
New Zealand opens the tournament with two matches in Montreal against Paraguay on Aug. 6 and France on Aug. 9. They close out group play in a contest versus Costa Rica on Aug. 13 in Toronto.
Although they will be making their U-20 World Cup debuts in August, Lee and Alfred each have experience playing with the New Zealand national team. Both players were members of the country’s U-17 Women’s World Cup squads in 2010 and 2012 when the tournament was held in Trinidad & Tobago and Azerbaijan, respectively.
As the host nation for this year’s U-20 World Cup, Canada will open the event in Toronto on Aug. 5 against Ghana. The Canadians will play their second game in Toronto versus Finland on Aug. 8 and will finish group play in Montreal facing off with North Korea on Aug. 12.
Fletcher and Carvery will be competing in their first major international competition for Canada in their soccer careers. At points from 2013-2014, both players spent time playing in the Canadian U-20 EXCELeration Training Camp series.
Head Coach Brian Lee said he was excited for the four players, and that it is a great opportunity for each of them to represent their home country.
“One of the things we try and do at LSU is help kids get to the next level or whatever their goals are,” Lee said. “For a lot of soccer players, especially the international, the ultimate goal is to represent your country, and they’ve got that opportunity and they’re really excited.”
The U-20 Women’s World Cup lasts approximately three weeks and will conclude with the final on Aug. 24 at Olympic Stadium in Toronto.