Lauren Sesselmann (Green Bay Notre Dame) is headed to the Olympics this summer.

Sesselmann returned from a knee injury to start and played 63 minutes at left back as Canada beat Mexico 3-1 in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament on Friday night in Vancouver to earn a berth in the London Games.

Canada rolled past Haiti 6-0 in its opening match Thursday night at the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament in Vancouver, B.C., but starting left back Lauren Sesselmann (Green Bay Notre Dame) was forced to leave the game at halftime due to a knee injury.

The 28-year-old Sesselmann was injured in a collision with Haiti's Samantha Brand.

Four player with ties to New England were taken in Thursday's MLS SuperDraft.

Defender Andrew Jean-Baptiste (Connecticut), defender Aaron Maund (Dorchester, Mass.), midfielder Tony Cascio (Connecticut) and forward Luckymore Mkosana (Dartmouth) all had their names called at the Kansas City Convention Center.

Eclipse Select and U.S. Soccer Communications
CHICAGO -- Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumna and Notre Dame freshman defender/midfielder Sammy Scofield (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) was one of 24 players named to the U.S. U-23 Women's National Team for a Jan. 15-22 training camp in Sarasota, Fla.
Scofield unites with newly-named U.

Eclipse Select Communications
CHICAGO -- Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumna and former Notre Dame midfielder Jen Buczkowski (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Elk Grove) re-signed with Women's Professional Soccer's Philadelphia Independence, the team announced Friday. Buczkowski was named to the 2011 WPS Best XI and was named the team's 2011 Ironwoman after logging every minute of the 18-game regular season last year.

A few weeks ago, comments were made publicly about Michael Thomas coming to Kansas City. As mentioned previously, the Notre Dame grad has played with multiple members of Sporting KC, including Matt Besler and Seth Sinovic. Word out of Sweden is that Thomas will definitely not be returning to club, Ljungskile SK.

FC Milwaukee defender Brittany Von Rueden continues to make an impression on the U.S. women's national team coaches.

U.S. Soccer women's technical director April Heinrichs called Von Rueden in for another Under-18 camp, which starts Saturday in Chula Vista, Calif.

Mequon's Von Rueden, a senior at Milwaukee DSHA who has verbally committed to play at Notre Dame next fall, was part of four Under-18 national team camps in 2011 – most recently last month in Florida.

There is so much that can change the draft and the way that teams select that it's really hard to look at KC's first round pick, the 16th overall, let alone the rest of KC's draft. So we're going to just look at the 16th draft pick at this point and go through the rest of the picks as they come up during the draft.

By Charlie Corr
Eclipse Select staff
Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumna and former Notre Dame midfielder Jen Buczkowski is coming off a successful third season within Women's Professional Soccer.
The 26-year-old Elk Grove, Ill., native was named to the 2011 WPS Best XI as voted by select media, and her Philadelphia Independence advanced to the WPS title match, eventually falling to the champion Western New York Flash.

Seniors Logan Andryk and Patrick Hodan, who helped lead Milwaukee Marquette to its second consecutive WIAA Division 1 state title, were among 33 players named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Boys High School Scholar All-America team.

Andryk, a midfielder, had six goals and nine assists as the Hilltoppers (24-0-1) finished the season ranked third in the country by ESPNHS and fourth by the NSCAA.

Stats for all division one NCAA schools that have had at least 10 players play a game in MLS. Ranked by average games played.
Players Avg GP Median GP Avg Goals 1 FIU CUSA 11 118.1 28 10.0 2 UCLA P12 57 101.5 75 8.9 3 Indiana B10 29 98.

Lauren Sesselmann (Green Bay Notre Dame) will start the new year in California, and she hopes her 2012 will include a summer trip to England.

The Atlanta Beat defender was one of 20 players named to the Canadian national team roster for next month's CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

The 2012 MLS SuperDraft just got a little better. Fox Soccer's Ives Galarcep is reporting that the league has secured deals with two of the top prospects in this year's draft in Akron striker Darren Mattocks and Duke midfielder/defender Andrew Wenger.

Mattocks was rumored to go to Europe over the last couple weeks.

Milwaukee Marquette senior forward Patrick Hodan and former Sugar River midfielder Hannah Kernen, the Wisconsin prep boys and girls players of the year for 2011, were named high school All-Americans by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Hodan, a Notre Dame recruit, and Kernen, who recently completed her freshman season at UW-Green Bay, also led the state contingent on the All-Region V team.

Lauren Sesselmann (Green Bay Notre Dame) already has a gold medal from the Pan American Games.

Now she and her teammates on the Canadian women's national soccer team have their eyes on the Olympics.

Sesselmann is one of 23 players called in for a 10-day training camp that started Tuesday in Fullerton, Calif.

Notre Dame recruit Patrick Hodan (Milwaukee Marquette) and UW-Green Bay recruit Cheenuj Shong (Milwaukee Ronald Reagan) scored Tuesday as FC Milwaukee's Under-17/18 team closed the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase with its first victory of the 2011-12 season, a 2-1 win over New Jersey's NJSA 04 in Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

A pair of Wisconsin players teamed up for the goal that sent the Creighton men's soccer team to the NCAA College Cup.

Junior midfielder Andrew Ribeiro (Green Bay Notre Dame) ripped a shot from outside the box in the 97th minute that was deflected by a defender and found its way to Ethan Finlay (Marshfield).

#GoCardinal

Teresa Noyola scored from point-blank range Sunday to help top-ranked Stanford beat No. 3 Duke 1-0 and give the Cardinal their first NCAA women's soccer title after three consecutive attempts. It was the perfect finish to Stanford's unbeaten season.

Stanford seniors Noyola, Camille Levin, Kristy Zuhmehlen and Lindsay Taylor finished their college careers with a record of 95-4-4.

FC Milwaukee defender Brittany Von Rueden is headed south for the final U.S. Under-18 women's national team camp of the year.

Von Rueden, a Notre Dame recruit, is one of 26 players called in by U.S. Soccer women's technical director April Heinrichs for the camp Dec. 11 to 18 in Sunrise, Fla.

Junior midfielder Andrew Ribeiro (Green Bay Notre Dame) scored his fourth goal of the season – and fourth game-winner – as second-ranked Creighton scored twice in the opening 20 minutes and held off No. 13 UC Santa Barbara 2-1 Sunday in Omaha, Neb., to advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament.

William Packwood: U.S. U-20 Defender and Math Whiz!
ussoccer.com passes out a survey at every training camp for the players to fill out. It's used to update media guide bios and other publications with relevant byline information. We also include a line with best skill (outside of soccer), which always brings in some interesting responses.

After helping Canada win the gold medal at last month's Pan American Games in Mexico, Lauren Sesselmann (Green Bay Notre Dame) will be back training with the national team on Saturday.

The Atlanta Beat defender was one of 21 players called in for a 12-day training camp in Phoenix that includes a closed-door friendly against Sweden on Nov.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

There's still a week to go until the brackets for the 2011 NCAA Tournament are revealed but several teams have already seen their postseason hopes extinguished.

Only four teams remain in the Big East Tournament as Connecticut, Louisville, St.

The strongest conference in college soccer will begin the path toward crowning its champion today as the Big East Tournament kicks off and a half dozen nationally-ranked teams do battle for the crown currently held by Louisville.

South Florida enters as the favorite, with pre-season favorites Louisville and UConn being forced to take longer roads to the semifinals after enduring some disappointing results.

Just more than a month into her international career, Lauren Sesselmann (Green Bay Notre Dame) already has won a gold medal.

Sesselmann started and played 77 minutes Thursday night as Canada won the gold at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, topping two-time defending champion Brazil 4-3 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw in the final at Estadio Omnilife.

Lauren Sesselmann (Green Bay Notre Dame) set up Robyn Gayle's 88th-minute winner as the Canadian women's national team slipped past Colombia 2-1 on Tuesday night in Guadalajara, Mexico, to advance to the championship game of the Pan American Games.

Sesselmann served a free kick into the box that Gayle chested down and finished to send the Canadians to a rematch with Brazil in Thursday's final at Omnilife Stadium.

Lauren Sesselmann (Green Bay Notre Dame) played the full 90 minutes at left back Saturday night as Canada tied Brazil 0-0 in the final match of Group B play at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The teams shared the group title, as both teams went 2-0-1 with four goals scored and one allowed in three games.

Randy Waldrum (right) -- NCAABy Charlie Corr
Eclipse Select staff
CHICAGO -- The Eclipse Select Soccer Club recently held its 2011 Eclipse Select College Showcase, with more than 40 collegiate programs in attendance in Oak Brook.
Headed by Eclipse Select President Rory Dames and Eclipse Select Director of Soccer Mike Nesci, the showcase provides college recruiters with an opportunity to see the club's top-level soccer talent.

FC Milwaukee defender Brittany Von Rueden was called back into camp with the U.S. Under-18 women's national team.

U.S. Soccer women's technical director April Heinrichs is overseeing the week-long camp, which starts Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Von Rueden, a Notre Dame recruit, also was part of the Under-18 national team camp in June.

Lauren Sesselmann (Green Bay Notre Dame) started and played 62 minutes at left back as Canada beat Costa Rica 3-1 in the opening match of the women's soccer competition at the Pan American Games on Tuesday at Omnilife Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Sesselmann, making her third international appearance, conceded a penalty kick in the 27th minute as she was called for a foul on Raquel Rodríguez Cedeño during a breakaway.

Photo courtesy of UConn Athletics

Considering how their season has unfolded, it's no surprise that the University of Connecticut Huskies find themselves atop the initial RPI rankings released by the NCAA.

UConn (13-0-1) is one of two unbeaten teams in the country and deservedly holds the top spot after thus far making it unscathed through a rigorous Big East slate that includes games against St.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

The nation's last perfect record is no more.

Top-ranked Connecticut was held to a scoreless draw by No. 12 Notre Dame in front of nearly 2,000 fans in South Bend, Indiana. The draw was the first time the Huskies failed to win in 12 tries this season while Notre Dame continued its home unbeaten run.

Brittany Bock -- Getty ImagesEclipse Select and W.N.Y. Flash Communications
Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumna, University of Notre Dame product and Naperville, Ill., native Brittany Bock is returning to the Western New York Flash for their 2012 Women's Professional Soccer season. Bock and the Flash won the 2011 WPS Championship on Aug.

Three players with state ties are headed to Mexico with the Canadian women's national team for the Pan American Games next month.

Atlanta Beat defender Lauren Sesselmann (Green Bay Notre Dame), Marquette sophomore Vanessa Legault-Cordisco and University of Wisconsin recruit Diamond Simpson were among the 17 players selected by new coach John Herdman.

Atlanta Beat defender Lauren Sesselmann (Green Bay Notre Dame) started at left back as the Canadian women's national team lost to the U.S. 3-0 in a friendly watched by a crowd of 18,570 on Thursday night at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland, Ore.

Sesselmann, 28, played 75 minutes in her second career cap, having made her international debut in Saturday's 1-1 draw with the Americans in Kansas City.

Lauren Sesselmann (Green Bay Notre Dame) had a chance to be the hero in her international debut.

The Atlanta Beat defender played the full 90 minutes at left back for Canada on Saturday night in Kansas City, Kan., but it ended on a frustrating note as she fired a shot over U.

Another Wisconsinite is poised to play international soccer – but not for the U.S.

Atlanta Beat defender Lauren Sesselmann (Green Bay Notre Dame) was named to the 22-player training camp roster for the Canadian women's national team ahead of two matches against the U.

University of Denver men's soccer player Nate Sackeyfio scored his first goal of the season, but the No. 20 Pioneers' upset bid fell just short, as No. 6 Indiana edged DU 2-1 at the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament at Notre Dame's Alumni Stadium on Sunday morning.

Trailing by two goals early, the Pioneers (0-2-2) cut the deficit in half in the 41st minute.

DU scored twice in the second half to tie No. 11 Notre Dame 2-2 on a rainy Friday evening at Notre Dame's Alumni Stadium.

"Our group showed a lot of character to come back from two down against a quality team in Notre Dame," head coach Bobby Muuss said. "Like Creighton, they are an opponent that can certainly be playing the last weekend of the season.

Some more involved coverage of both the Huskies men's and women's soccer teams is on the to-do list here at the Heart, but in the meantime I thought it was worth highlighting the fact that the men's team has entered the NSCAA national rankings at #23 after starting the season 2-0-1. The last time the Huskies were ranked was a brief period in October last season when the Huskies were also ranked #23rd after a big win over Portland.