Despite the fact that it’s winter, Soccer is still being played at various parks in the lower mainland, given the fact that we don’t have any snow covering the playing fields, which for us is a bonus.
Soccer Canada has named Ashley Lawrence Canadian Player of the Year after an impressive season with Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team in addition to the Paris Saint-Germain FC professional club in France and UEFA Women’s Champions League.
She was named as Canada’s top player in June during the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 that saw Canada reach the knockout phase for only the third time.
Lawrence led Canada in 2019 with four assists at the International “A” level and named Canada Soccer Player of the Month in June as well as November.
She was one of four that played in all 15 matches at right back that saw her lead Canada in minutes played for the second consecutive year and was Canada’s player of the match in the Round of 16 at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup France.
She calls Caledon East (Ontario) home and was honoured from a vote which is shared by the Canadian media and Canadian coaches.
She also shares the 2019 Canadian Players of the Year Award with Jonathan David (co-winner) from the Canadian Soccer’s Men’s National Team.
Kenneth Heiner-Møller, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Head Coach mentions “Ashley Lawrence is a fantastic, positive individual with great character and someone who looks at ways to improve her game all the time.”
He continued “She is a world-class player with a fast-paced drive on the ball; she has the ability to pass, cross and shoot with both feet; she is able to play at several positions on the highest level. In 2019, her leadership abilities continued to develop both on and off the pitch, providing a positive impact on both her younger teammates as well as her own game.”
While playing at the club level she helped Paris Saint-Germain finish second in the league standings in the 2018-19 Championnat de France, the same position they hold four months into the 2019-20 campaign.
In cup competitions, she helped PSG reach the Quarter-finals of both the 2019 Coupe de France and 2018-19 UEFA Women’s Champions League.
The club has also qualified for the Quarter-finals of 2019-20 UEFA Women’s Champions League to be played in March and April 2020.
She will be a huge part of Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team who are in search for a fourth-consecutive qualification to the Olympic Games.
The eight-nation Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament runs 28 January through 9 February from which two nations will qualify for Tokyo 2020. Canada will play group matches against St. Kitts and Nevis (29 January), Jamaica (1 February) and Mexico (4 February) in Edinburg, TX after which the top-two nations in the group will advance to the Concacaf Semi-finals on 6 February in Carson, CA. Winners of the Semi-finals advance to the 2020 Concacaf final and qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
This past year marked Canada Soccer’s seventh consecutive participation at the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the first time Canada reached the knockout phase in back-to-back tournaments. From FIFA’s detailed review of the 24 finalists at France 2019, Canada led the way in statistical averages for possession (61%), passes (581) and opponents bypassed (419).
In a nine-month run after qualifying in October 2018, Canada posted seven wins, three draws and three losses in 13 international matches, with their only losses to the world’s top-three nations USA, Netherlands and Sweden. That string also included a 10-match unbeaten streak, the second longest in program history.
Lawrence, 24 years old, has made 83 international appearances for Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team since making her debut as a teenager on 12 January 2013.
She played youth football for Brams United SC and Erin Mills SC then moved on to attend West Virginia University, then turning pro with Paris Saint-Germain FC.
She was 14 years old when she made her debut in the Canadian youth program in 2010 and she won Canadian U-17 Player of the Year honours in 2011 and 2012.
2019 Canada Soccer Player Awards
This is the 27th edition for the Canada Soccer Player Awards and among women’s footballers, Ashley Lawrence finished first in voting ahead of runner up Janine Beckie and top-five finishers Kadeisha Buchanan, Christine Sinclair, and Stephanie Labbé.
2019 Canada Soccer Player Awards
This marks the 27th edition of the Canada Soccer Player Awards. Amongst women’s footballers, Ashley Lawrence finished first in voting ahead of runner up Janine Beckie and top-five finishers Kadeisha Buchanan, Christine Sinclair, and Stephanie Labbé.
