Gagnet Selected to French U20 World Cup Team

LAWRENCE, Kan. –  Kansas soccer sophomore-to-be Aurélie Gagnet was selected to the U20 French National Team that will compete in the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup next month in Canada. The Montpellier, France native made the final roster of 21 players which will open the tournament in group play on Aug. 6 against Costa Rica.
  
Gagnet and her French teammates will kick off their World Cup run in Group D which includes the teams from Costa Rica, New Zealand and Paraguay. The first match will pit the French against the Costa Ricans on Aug. 6 at 4 p.m. (CT) in Montreal. Following the three matches of group play, the top two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the elimination round in the quarterfinals to begin on Aug. 16.
 
A defender, Gagnet has already tallied substantial time with France’s youth national teams in previous years. Last summer, she helped the U19 French Nationals to a victory in the UEFA Cup in Wales. Gagnet played in four of the five tournament stage matches, including the event final against England, a 2-0 French victory.
 
In her first year at KU, Gagnet appeared in 15 of the team’s 21 matches and logged more than 1,088 minutes of field time to average over 72 minutes per outing. At season’s end, she was named to the Big 12’s All-Newcomer Team.

Gagnet will plan to rejoin the Jayhawks immediately following France’s run in the World Cup. KU is set to begin preseason practice on Aug. 6 and hold its first exhibition on Aug. 15 against South Dakota State. Kansas will open the regular season at its new home facility, Rock Chalk Park, on Aug. 22 against Wyoming.
 
 
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