BATON ROUGE — Junior midfielder Caroline Vanderpool is set to travel to Finland with the U-20 Canadian National Team on Friday for a pair of matches against the Finnish National Team in preparation for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Russia later this summer.
Vanderpool is one of 17 players on the 20-person roster who earned a spot in the U-20 Women’s World Cup by finishing in second place at the 2006 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Qualification Tournament in Veracruz, Mexico, in February.
Canada will compete as part of the World Cup’s difficult Group B along with Finland, China and either Nigeria or the Democratic Republic of Congo. The competition is scheduled to last from Aug 17-Sept. 3 with matches being held in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Vanderpool’s selection to join Canada on its trip to Finland comes on the heels of being named to the United Soccer Leagues W-League Team of the Week on Wednesday. The W-League is one of the highest levels of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada with 38 teams competing in four divisions throughout the summer.
Vanderpool competes for the Laval Comets of the Northern Division in a league that features both international and former professional stars, as well as elite collegiate players who have the opportunity to compete while maintaining their collegiate eligibility.