

Posted by

Kamal Hylton ,

June 2, 2013 Email

Kamal Hylton

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@KamalHylton

For defender Kadeisha Buchanan and midfielder Ashley Lawrence, this recent call-up to the Canadian Senior Women’s National Team brings about a story that is quite rare in the world of sports. What is all the more unique in the global game of soccer is the fact that these two players have managed to come up through the ranks together at all the different levels. Going from youth club to youth national team to senior national team and soon to be collegiate teammates all within a short few years, the bond seem to get stronger and stronger with every step of the way. Both Buchanan and Lawrence will be attending the University of West Virginia later this fall, but the understanding is that the two have created a bond from playing at club level for Erin Mills Soccer Club, as well as some time with the Toronto Lady Lynx. This, in combination with development at U-17 national team level, has caught the eye of Coach John Herdman and has put them on the fast track to being key members of the Senior National Team in the future. When speaking to Lawrence about sharing the journey of coming up the ranks with Buchanan and reaching the point of representing the Canadian Senior Women’s National Team together, she states “I think it’s a lot easier just because I’ve known her for my entire life and we’ve played together since we were younger. So going on this journey with her has been amazing”, she continued on to say “just to have another person to relate to and talk with is great”. One would be well within their rights to consider this was the plan all along, but according to Lawrence that really isn’t the case. “It was never really planned that way, but I’ve known since we were younger that we both had talent and I saw both of us at a high level. We both just happened to make it”. Buchanan, for her part, is equally excited about having a shared experience with Lawrence. “It’s actually pretty good, not everyone gets a chance to go off to university with their best friend so I think it’s going to be more like home and not too nervous”. However the journey won’t necessarily end here for these two, as whether it is the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2014, or the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015, they can both cap off their shared journey by representing Canada as the host nation. When asked what that would mean to her, Lawrence didn’t hesitate and said “It would be an absolute honor because we’ll be at home, in front of a home crowd, and having friends and family behind us.” She went on to say “Just having the comfort of being at home makes it that much better over being somewhere else”. Although the development of Canadian players both male and female takes its fair share of criticism, and in most cases it’s justified, it’s stories like these that make you stop and think. For two young women to rise up the ranks rather quickly, at only 17 years of age, is rare, but when it’s two players that have come up together it make it that much more special. These are two players for the future and if Buchanan continues to have performances like the one Sunday night against a world class player such as Abby Wambach, while Lawrence continues to learn from the veteran midfielders within the squad like Diana Matheson, Sophie Schmidt and Desiree Scott, it will be just the beginning the country has heard from both of these players.