Canada's Kadeisha Buchanan leads West Virginia women into NCAAs

Maggie Hendricks | USA TODAY Sports

When seventh-ranked West Virginia starts the NCAA women’s soccer tournament on Friday against Duquesne, the Mountaineers will be led by a player who has already played — and excelled — on soccer’s biggest stage. Kadeisha Buchanan spent her summer playing in the World Cup for Canada, and was recognized as an up-and-comer in the sport.

The junior defender from outside Ontario is a living example of soccer’s international appeal. Born in Canada, Buchanan’s parents are from Jamaica, and she plays in the United States. Buchanan’s background helps her on the pitch.

“I feel like I can relate to different people. Interacting with the Americans, going back home to Canada, or when I go to Jamaica or am with my friends,” Buchanan said. “I feel like it plays into the way I play. It’s not Americanized. It’s different than how other people play. I’m more composed. More relaxed. I bring that style to the way I play. Canadians are nice. I don’t play that nice, but I’m pretty decent compared to the Americans.”

Her team at West Virginia dominated the Big 12 for most of the year, leading the conference in goals scored, goals per game and fewest goals allowed, but fell to Texas Tech in the championship final.

According to coach Nikki Izzo-Brown, Buchanan’s ability to elevate her teammates has made a difference in how the team plays.

“She’s just somebody that is so selfless in everything she does. It’s not about Keisha. It’s about everybody’s play around her. You’ll constantly hear her coaching everybody. You’ll constantly be hearing her not only focused on what she’s doing, but more importantly on what everyone else is doing,” Izzo-Brown said. “When you watch Keisha play, she’s really a coach out there and making sure everyone is feeling confident and has a really good understanding of what they need to do.”

Playing soccer internationally and collegiately while also making the dean’s list and majoring in criminology is not easy. While Buchanan makes it look easy, her coach knows the kind of work that happens behind the scenes.

“Most collegiate, traditional students struggle graduating in four years. Now you’re asking an athlete of her caliber to take off semesters to train for World Cups, take off semesters to train for the Olympics, and not be able to come in during the summer and catch up on her credits,” Izzo-Brown said.

Buchanan keeps a tight schedule and can rarely take a break from soccer or school. Her parents rarely can make the trip to Morgantown, and she can’t always get home as much as she wants.

“You learn to be proactive. Studies can catch up on you and you can start to fall behind, so I try to plan ahead. I keep a schedule, and you’ve always got to ask for help. If I start to fall behind, I ask my tutors, teachers, my coaches for help,” Buchanan said.

The sacrifices allowed Buchanan to star for the Canadian national team that made it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup before being eliminated by England. Buchanan made an impression on her competitors, and won the Hyundai Young Player Award. She's also one of 10 candidates for FIFA Women's World Player of the Year.

The hard work Buchanan put in has paid off, and her coach said she felt like “a proud mom.”

“It’s not just putting on the jersey and getting the young player of the year award. I know how much she sacrificed and how hard she’s worked, and everything that she has done up until that point,” Izzo-Brown said. “For her, after I saw her play in her first game against China, I was just so happy and proud for her, that all her hard work had been rewarded and paid off with her performance, not only in that game, but throughout her entire World Cup experience.”