THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, JUNE 16, 2014
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SOCCER
PAGE 13
Freshman shoots for international opportunity
BEN CARROLL sports@kansan.com
Aurélie Gagnet, a freshman defender, has returned to her native France to train at the U20 French national team camp and will attempt to land a spot on the final French national roster for the U20 Women's World Cup.
The training camp ended Saturday with results to follow determining who will move onto the next stage of the prep camp. The final roster will be released after training camp, which runs from June 30 to July 5.
Gagnet has worked hard for 14 years and making the final roster is her ultimate goal.
"It would mean a lot and the highest accomplishment of my career," Gagnet said. "I have worked hard and still work for it. This is a big honor to play for your national team."
Gagnet is well aware that she needs to continue to work hard in order to move past the two training camps and make the team, but said she is going to try her hardest and to leave it all on the field.
"It's going to be very hard to make
the team," she said. "I am going to give everything and I hope that things are going to turn out well for me."
Gagnet, who is originally from Montpellier, France, has clocked minutes on several of France's youth national teams in the past, including last year when her U19 French national team won the Union of European Football Associations Cup in Wales.
She said they had a great team that got along very well on and off the field, and she played a lot, which made the experience even better, she said.
"It was an honor," Gagnet said. "This is my best soccer experience so far."
According to the women's soccer coach, Mark Francis, Gagnet will be more than ready for the U20 World Cup if she makes the final roster.
"I think she'll do fine," Francis said. "She's obviously competed at the national team level before. She played in the European final and the top-college level, so she'll be well-prepared and hopefully she'll do well at the camp this week and make the squad."
cut.
Francis said he would be very surprised if she doesn't make the final
Gagnet missed the first part of the collegiate season last year because of the U19 world cup, but still played in 15 out of 21 games for Kansas and recorded more than 1,088 minutes, averaging just over 72 minutes per game.
The coaches and her teammates were thrilled when she finally returned to the team, Francis said.
"She jumped in and fit in right away," he said. "She's quick, which you need to be in that position. She's comfortable with the ball, she gets out of pressure well and attacks well out of the back."
Gagnet agreed with Francis' assessment of her skills.
"I would say that my best soccer skill is that I am very quick," Gagnet said. "I think that I also have good skills with the ball, and usually pass it well."
The U20 World Cup will be held all across Canada from August 5 to 24.
Edited by Kaitlyn Klein
BEN LIPOWITZ/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Freshman defender Aurélie Gagnet returned to her native France this summer to train and attempt to land a spot on the national roster for the U20 Women's World Cup.