Sophomore midfielder Vanessa Legault-Cordisco will leave the Marquette women’s soccer team on Friday. Have no fear, Golden Eagle fans. Legault-Cordisco will return Oct. 28, just in time for the second round of the Big East Championship tournament.
The Quebec native was called up to the Canadian national team to participate in the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico that run Oct. 18-27.
For Legault-Cordisco, it was an opportunity that was too good to pass up, despite Marquette entering its stretch run, with five games remaining until the Big East tournament.
“My personal goal would be of course playing, because I’m just 19 (and) it’s pretty much just 21 and over (that are invited and get to play). So I was pretty excited just to be invited,” Legault-Cordisco said.
Canada placed third in the 2007 games and will begin play against Costa Rica, Argentina and Brazil in three group matches. The top two teams from each stage advance to the semifinal stage on Oct. 25, with the championship match slated for Oct. 27.
The national team features stars like Christine Sinclair, a 28-year-old forward who plays for the Western New York Flash of Women’s Professional Soccer. Sinclair participated in the 2003 and 2007 World Cups and is Canada’s all-time leading goal scorer (117).
Sophomore midfielder Kate Reigle expects Legault-Cordisco to perform well and is happy that she has a chance to further develop her career.
“We’re all really excited about her going to play at a higher level, particularly on a national scene. It’s a really big step (for her),” Reigle said. “To get someone on our team with that experience, in addition to (senior goalkeeper) Natalie Kulla, it does help our team, and I think she will learn a lot from it and come back from it with some advice.”
Legault-Cordisco’s departure comes at a time when she had become a regular contributor off the Marquette bench, even scoring her first goal in a Golden Eagle uniform in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Cincinnati.
In order for Legault-Cordisco to crack the rotation on the Canadian national team, she will have to impress new coach John Herdman by building off the experience she acquired playing with the team last April in China, when she appeared in two friendly matches.
Additionally, Legault-Cordisco has previous experience with Canada’s Under-20 team, scoring the game-winning goal against Guatemala in a U-20 World Cup qualifier on Jan. 24, 2010. If Legault-Cordisco performs well, she may be asked to again compete for the national team when it begins the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football) qualifier for the 2012 Olympics in January.
As for the experience Legault-Cordisco will gain from playing at a higher level, coach Markus Roeders said it is invaluable.
“It’s great for her personally to have a chance to further develop her career and playing in an even more competitive environment,” Roeders said. “And when she gets back, we’ll be glad to have her and hear about the experiences she had.”
The No. 9/13 Golden Eagles will play their first game without Legault-Cordisco on Friday night at Valley Fields against Providence, followed by a home contest against Connecticut on Sunday afternoon.
