Two months out of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia (July 20th - August 20th), Sudbury native Cloe Lacasse is sure to head in with a little extra confidence - should she be named to Team Canada.
While many soccer pundits of the international game seem convinced that the graduate of E.S. Macdonald-Cartier will be included on the roster when national team coach Bev Priestman and her entourage formalize their final choices in the coming weeks, the simple truth is that hasn't happened just yet.
Still, the 29 year-old who cut her teeth in the competitive youth ranks with the Sudbury Canadians, eventually starring for the NCAA Iowa University Hawkeyes has been busy garnering some well-deserved attention in recent months.
At the very beginning of May, Lacasse joined keeper Milan Borjan in earning Canada Soccer Player of the Month honours for April. Lacasse helped Benfica win their third Taca da Liga Feminina (League Cup) since the team was founded in Portugal in 2020.
The crafty attacking forward scored four goals and added an equal number of assists in lifting her team to a pair of victories while also crossing the 100-goal barrier in her career with the Portuguese powerhouse.
This was the second time in just a four month span that Lacasse was tapped for the award.
Earlier this week, the young woman who has amassed 19 international caps (appearances) to date was recognized as the top player in her league, named Campeonato Nacional Feminino (Player of the Year).
In this title winning season for Benfica, Lacasse has found the back of the net no less than 21 times and has proven that she can come off the bench for the national team, inserting a spark of energy into the Canadian attack.
She is expected to join the remainder of Team Canada in making the trip to Australia in late June, prior to coach Priestman unveiling the official World Cup roster. If successful, this will make the second straight time that Sudbury has been represented at the prestigious event, with Jenna Hellstrom making the trip to France in 2019.
