Caledon woman plans to be on podium at Rio Games

July 6, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Bill Rea
There’s a podium in Brazil, and a SouthFields Village woman thinks it has her name, as well as those of her teammates.
Ashley Lawrence officially learned last Monday that she has a spot on the roster for the women’s soccer team in the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio.
Lawrence, 21, plays mid-field and left back.
She said she first got called up to a youth team when she was 15, and worked her way up through the various levels. She was called to the National Team in 2013.
Lawrence said she expects to travel to Vancouver July 1 to start training with the team. In mid-July, they will be travelling to France for some “friendship” games with the French and Chinese team.
Their first Olympic contest will be Aug. 2.
“We start before a lot of the other events there,” she remarked.
“We’re going to do really well,” she declared.
They will be starting in a group with the teams from Germany, Australia and Zimbabwe, and that represents some formidable competition. Lawrence said Germany is one of the powerhouse teams. “They’re one of the top five in the world,” she said, adding Australia has a very good team too.
But the Canadian women are confident. Lawrence said their goal is to be on top of their group, “and then podium.”
Lawrence attended Mayfield Secondary School for Grades 11 and 12, and she’s currently attending West Virginia University on an athletic scholarship, studying psychology and business.
Lawrence will also have a cheering section backing her up at the Games.
Her mother Tina said she was “definitely going to see her play.”
Her brother Anthony will be making the trip too.