VICTORIA - It's possible #
Jaclyn Sawicki# may have played her last Canada West game for a while. And this time, it's not injury keeping her from the Vikes roster.
Sawicki, who fought through an off-season knee injury over the summer, has enjoyed a quick recovery and returned to action during the pre-season for the Vikes in August. She was recently named to the Canadian 22-player roster by Canada Soccer on Monday and left to join the national team Sunday from Winnipeg following the Vikes 2-0 win over the Manitoba Bisons.
The sophomore from Coquitlam, B.C., joins the national squad for the upcoming Women's International Friendly series with USA. She's the lone Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) representative on the national team.
"We are excited and pleased Jaclyn has been selected for this opportunity," said Vikes women's soccer head coach #
Tracy David#. "This is an outstanding opportunity to play with the Canadian national team. Any time the national team comes knocking, we're happy to open the door."
The camp and matches will be based in Kansas City, KS, and Portland, OR, with the first match to be played on Sept. 17 and the second to be played on Sept. 22. The camp and matches will feature the debut of newly-hired Canadian head coach John Herdman.
"We believe in Jaclyn's ability and we wish her all the best," David said. "And with this opportunity for Jaclyn, a door opens for someone else to come in and get an opportunity to play with the Vikes."
In her opening Canada West weekend, Sawicki had an assist on the weekend, playing a key role in guiding the Vikes to a 1-0-1 start on the road against Regina (T, 1-1) and Manitoba (W, 2-0). The upcoming tour with the national team is essentially a tryout for the Pan Am Games, taking plaice in Guadalajara, Mexico, Oct. 14-30.
Herdman will have his first full session with the team on Tuesday Sept. 13 after which he will address Canadian press members via a media call.
While the two September matches were organized only recently, coach Herdman was able to draw 15 players from the team that participated at the recent FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany. Herdman has also called in several young players, including three making their debut trips with the national "A" team: Sawicki, Tina Romagnuolo and Lauren Sesselmann.
"We will start to lay the foundation for this new era," said Herdman. "We will have a look at our pool of players as well as some of the young players."
Amongst the leaders in the group include Diana Matheson, Rhian Wilkinson, Karina LeBlanc, Erin McLeod and Sophie Schmidt.
Two omissions of note are Christine Sinclair and Candace Chapman, both of whom had extended seasons with the Women's Professional Soccer champions, Western New York Flash. Sinclair and Chapman were both in the lineup for the playoff championship in August, with Sinclair scoring a goal (assisted by Chapman) and earning MVP honours. The duo will be availabe for the next camp in early October.
Also missing from the camp are several players whose 2011 collegiate seasons have started in Canada and USA. That group includes Jodi-Ann Robinson and Jonelle Filigno. Herdman will have Chelsea Stewart for first match in Kansas, but not for the second match in Portland. Players unavailable due to injury include Marie-Eve Nault and Josée Bélanger.
As for kickoff times, the Sept. 17 match kicks off at 6 p.m. local time (5 p.m. PST) at the Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, KS. The second match kicks off at 8 p.m. PST at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland. The Canadian team will be meeting the full USA team, with all 21 players from the FIFA Women's World Cup silver-medal performance available and in uniform.
CANADA
GK- Justine Bernier | USA / University of Alabama
GK- Stephanie Labbé | SWE / Piteå IF
GK- Karina LeBlanc | USA / magicJack
GK- Erin McLeod | USA / magicJack
CB- Lexi Marton | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
CB- Emily Zurrer | SWE / Dalsjöfors G.o.I.F.
FB- Melanie Booth | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
FB- Robyn Gayle | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
FB- Lauren Sesselmann | USA / Atlanta Beat
FB- Rhian Wilkinson | NOR / Lillestrøm SK Kvinner
M- Kaylyn Kyle | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
M- Diana Matheson | NOR / Lillestrøm SK Kvinner
M- Carmelina Moscato | SWE / Piteå IF
M- Kelly Parker | USA / Atlanta Beat
M- Tina Romagnuolo | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
M- Jaclyn Sawicki | CAN / University of Victoria
M- Sophie Schmidt | USA / magicJack
M- Desiree Scott | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
M- Diamond Simpson | CAN / Hamilton FC
M- Chelsea Stewart | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
F- Christina Julien | CAN / Ottawa Fury
F- Melissa Tancredi | SWE / Piteå IF
Head Coach: John Herdman
Assistant Coach: Lewis Page
Goalkeeper Coach: Andrew Olivieri
USA
1- GK- Hope Solo | USA / magicJack
2- D- Heather Mitts | USA / Atlanta Beat
3- D- Christie Rampone | USA / magicJack
4- D- Becky Sauerbrunn | USA / magicJack
5- M- Kelley O'Hara | USA / Boston Breakers
6- D- Amy LePeilbet | USA / Boston Breakers
7- M- Shannon Boxx | USA / magicJack
8- F- Amy Rodriguez | USA / Philadelphia Independence
9- M- Heather O'Reilly | USA / Sky Blue FC
10- M- Carli Lloyd | USA / Atlanta Beat
11- D- Ali Krieger | Unattached / sans club
12- F- Lauren Cheney | USA / Boston Breakers
13- F- AlexMorgan | USA / Western New York Flash
14- D- Stephanie Cox | USA / Boston Breakers
15- M- Megan Rapinoe | USA / Philadelphia Independence
16- M- Lori Lindsey | USA / Philadelphia Independence
17- M- TobinHeath | USA / Sky Blue FC
18- GK- Nicole Barnhart | USA / Philadelphia Independence
19- D- Rachel Buehler | USA / Boston Breakers
20- F- Abby Wambach | USA / magicJack
21- GK- Jill Loyden | USA / magicJack
