Baylor Soccer junior midfielder Noelle Sather has been called up to Canada’s U-20 Women’s National Team for the upcoming U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland this September.
Sather, who is averaging 45 minutes per game, has been one of the first substitutes off the bench for the Bears so far this season. The USF transfer also scored the best goal of the young season for Baylor in the opener against then No. 10 Arkansas.
The Canadian Women’s U-20 team is gathering in Poland this Sunday, August 23rd, the same day that Baylor plays Texas State in Waco. Sather will miss at least four more games if Canada misses the knockout stage. If Canada makes a run to the championship game, Sather could miss four more games for a total of nine.
- Texas State (August 23rd)
- At Texas (August 27th)
- Pepperdine (August 30th)
- At LSU (September 3rd)
- Marquette (September 10th)
- Canada finishes group games (September 11th)
- At Oral Roberts (September 13th)
- Knockouts First Round Complete (September 17th)
- At No. 22 West Virginia (September 18th)
- Quarterfinals Complete (September 20th)
- Semifinals Complete (September 23rd)
- Oklahoma State (September 24th)
- Cincinnati (September 27th)
The format of this tournament is similar to the Men’s World Cup this summer, just half the size. It’s 24 teams with a 16-team knockout bracket. Canada could very well make the knockouts despite being in a group with Brazil, England and Tanzania because half of the 3rd place group finishers go through to the knockouts.
The Bears’ midfield depth will be tested in Sather’s absence, but they have the players to make do. Just how Michelle Lenard fits the pieces of this puzzle together after a strong first week of the season with Sather is the question that remains.
