Cloé Lacasse

Cloé Zoé Eyja Lacasse (born July 7, 1993) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Portuguese club Benfica in the Campeonato Nacional Feminino club and the Canada national team.

Cloé Lacasse
Personal information
Full name Cloé Zoé Eyja Lacasse
Date of birth (1993-07-07) July 7, 1993
Place of birth Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Benfica
Number 20
Youth career
Sudbury Canadians
2010 Brampton Brams United
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2014 Iowa Hawkeyes 85 (42)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012 Toronto Lady Lynx
2015–2019 ÍBV 79 (54)
2019– Benfica 74 (70)
International career‡
2021– Canada 19 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of May 7, 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of April 11, 2023

Early life

Lacasse began playing soccer at age five with the Sudbury Canadians before moving on to Brampton Brams United in 2010.[1][2] She helped her high school team with the provincial OFSAA championship twice.[3][4][5] In her youth, she made the national team for taekwondo, where she is a black belt, before deciding to focus solely on soccer at age 12.[6][7]

College career

Lacasse began attending the University of Iowa, where she played for the women's soccer team on a scholarship.[8][9] In her freshman season in 2011, she led the team in scoring with 12 goals, appearing in all 20 of the team's games,[10] also being named Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice,[11][12][13] and was named the team's Most Valuable Offensive Player and to the Big Ten All Freshman Team.[10] In 2012, she was named to the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region second team[14] and was the co-winner of Iowa’s Most Valuable Player award and was named team’s Offensive Player of the Year again.[10] In 2013, she was a Second-team All-Big Ten selection and a Second Team NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region selection.[10] In her senior season, she was named to the All Big Ten First Team[15][16] and was also a First Team NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region, First Team All-Big Ten, was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team, and was named Iowa’s Offensive MVP for a fourth straight season.[10] Lacasse was the school's top scorer during all her four seasons there.[17] Lacasse finished her Iowa career tied for the school record with 112 points (43 goals and 26 assists), while ranking second all-time with 43 goals.[18][19] She also finished tied for first in shots (306) and second in game-winning goals (13) and assists (26).[20]

Club career

In 2012, she played with the Toronto Lady Lynx in the USL W-League.[21]

After receiving offers to play for teams in the United States and Europe,[22] Lacasse signed with Icelandic club ÍBV in the Úrvalsdeild kvenna in 2015.[23] In 2016, she won the League Cup[24] and in 2017, she won the Icelandic Cup with ÍBV.[25] In 2018, the team were runner-ups in the Super Cup and she was named IBV's Player of the Year,[26] and was she was named the league's best player by the newspaper Morgunblaðið.[27][28]

After being spotted by a Portuguese agent while playing in Iceland,[29] Lacasse signed a two-year contract with in July 2019 with Portuguese club Benfica in the Campeonato Nacional Feminino.[30][31][32] On November 17, 2021, she became the first player to score a goal for a Portuguese club in the group stage of the UEFA Women's Champions League after scoring the opening goal in a 2-1 victory over BK Häcken FF.[33] In 2021, she extended her contract until 2024.[34][35] With Benfica, she is two-time Campeonato Nacional Feminino winner (2020–21, 2021–22), a two-time Taça da Liga winner (2020, 2021), and a two-time Supertaça de Portugal winner (2019, 2022).[1]

International career

In August 2012, she attended a training camp with the Canada U20 team for the first time,[36][37] but did not make the team's final roster for their upcoming matches.[38]

After being granted Icelandic citizenship in June 2019, the head coach of the Icelandic national team, Jón Þór Hauksson, stated that she would be considered for a call-up for the team's next games.[39] Lacasse applied to FIFA and UEFA to be eligible to represent Iceland internationally,[40] however, it was confirmed in July 2020 that her application was denied, as it was ruled she did not meet FIFA's residency requirements to be eligible to represent a new national association.[41]

In April 2021, she was called-up to Canada ahead of friendlies against England and Wales,[42][43] but did not appear in either match.[44] She made her debut for the national team on November 27, 2021 in a friendly against Mexico.[6] She scored her first goal for the national team on October 6, 2022 in a 2-0 victory over Argentina in a friendly.[45][46][47]

Career statistics

Club
As of May 7, 2023
Club Season League Domestic Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
ÍBV 2015[48] Úrvalsdeild kvenna 1772231——2210
2016[48] 18134374——2920
2017[48] 15134363——2519
2018[48] 17101000—1[lower-alpha 1]01910
2019[48] 12111152——1814
Total 79541292210001011373
Benfica 2019–20[49] Campeonato Nacional Feminino 15233242—1[lower-alpha 2]02327
2020–21[49] 221633004[lower-alpha 3]10[lower-alpha 2]02920
2021–22[49] 1711315410[lower-alpha 3]41[lower-alpha 2]03620
2022–23[49] 2020534210[lower-alpha 3]72[lower-alpha 2]14133
Total 7470149138241241129100
Career total 14816326183518241251242173
  1. Appearance in Icelandic Women's Football Super Cup.
  2. Appearance(s) in Supertaça de Portugal Feminina
  3. Appearance(s) in UEFA Women's Champions League

International goals
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.October 6, 2022Estadio El Palmar, Cádiz, Spain Argentina2–02–0Friendly

Personal life

In 2017, she stated she was working towards applying for Icelandic citizenship,[50][51] and said it would be an honour for her to be named to the Icelandic national team.[52] In June 2019, the Icelandic Judicial Affairs and Education Committee recommended that Lacasse's application to be granted Icelandic citizenship be approved.[53][54] On June 19, 2019, she was officially granted Icelandic citizenship.[55]

Honours

ÍBV

Benfica

Individual

  • Campeonato Nacional Feminino Golden Boot: 2019-20

References
  1. Cloé Lacasse at the Canadian Soccer Association
  2. Pascal, Randy (May 12, 2011). "Cloe Lacasse takes scholarship at Iowa". Sudbury.com.
  3. Pascal, Randy (December 14, 2021). "International soccer a CAP-tivating experience for Cloe Lacasse". Sudbury Sports.
  4. Haddow, Scott (July 18, 2017). "Lacasse has gone far". The Sudbury Star.
  5. Pascal, Randy (October 12, 2020). "'Extremely competitive' Lacasse welcomes new challenge". The Sudbury Star.
  6. Lloyd-Hughes, Florence (December 15, 2021). "Cloe Lacasse: The Canadian forward, with Icelandic citizenship, who is 'humbled' to be at Benfica". The Athletic.
  7. Allan, James. "24 Hawkeyes to Watch: Cloe Lacasse". Iowa Hawkeyes.
  8. Pascal, Randy (October 13, 2020). "Progress in Portugal pivotal for former Pantheres star". Sudbury Sports.
  9. "Sudbury Canadians player heads to NCAA". Sudbury.com. March 9, 2011.
  10. "Cloe Lacasse Iowa Hawkeyes profile". Iowa Hawkeyes.
  11. "Soccer's Lacasse honored after strong weekend". The Daily Iowan. September 6, 2011.
  12. "Iowa soccer's Lacasse honored for second straight week". The Daily Iowan. September 13, 2011.
  13. Myers, Laurel (September 19, 2011). "Cloe Lacasse leads Iowa soccer team as freshman". Sudbury.com.
  14. "Lacasse Earns NCAA All-Region Honors". Iowa Hawkeyes. December 5, 2012.
  15. Pascal, Randy (August 18, 2019). "Cloe Lacasse soccer career heats up with move to Portugal". Sudbury Sports.
  16. "Lacasse and Pickert grab first-team All-Big Ten Honors". The Daily Iowan. November 5, 2014.
  17. Jónsson, Óskar Ófeigur (February 13, 2020). "Verður Cloé Lacasse í íslenska landsliðshópnum í fyrsta sinn?" [Will Cloé Lacasse be in the Icelandic national team for the first time?]. Vísir (in Icelandic).
  18. Molinaro, John (April 11, 2022). "Newcomer Cloé Lacasse adds a touch of experience to Canadian women's team". TFC Republic.
  19. Allan, James (June 30, 2015). "Lacasse's Pro Career Starts Strong". Iowa Hawkeyes.
  20. Allan, James (July 3, 2017). "Lacasse Shining in Iceland". Iowa Hawkeyes. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019.
  21. "Strong Summer Propels Lacasse". Iowa Hawkeyes. August 16, 2012.
  22. Þór Þórðarson, Tómas (July 4, 2017). "Mamma vildi ekki að ég spilaði íshokkí" [My mom didn't want me to play ice hockey]. Vísir (in Icelandic).
  23. Pascal, Randy (April 27, 2015). "The Iceland adventure of Cloe Lacasse". Sudbury Sports.
  24. Westendorf, Jess (July 5, 2017). "Ex-Hawk Lacasse still shines". The Daily Iowan.
  25. Ófeigur Jónsson, Óskar (September 26, 2017). "Einn besti erlendi leikmaðurinn í Pepsi deildinni vill verða Íslendingur" [One of the best foreign players in the Pepsi League wants to become an Icelander]. Vísir (in Icelandic).
  26. "Lacasse Named IBV Player of the Year". Iowa Hawkeyes. October 10, 2018.
  27. Pascal, Randy (October 9, 2018). "Putting Cloe Lacasse and Iceland back on the radar". Sudbury Sports.
  28. Sigurðsson, Víðir (September 26, 2018). "Cloé Lacasse best í deildinni" [Cloé Lacasse best in the league]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic).
  29. Ruszkai, Ameé (April 12, 2021). "'My journey is a little different to most' - Benfica star Lacasse on the brink of long-awaited Canada debut". Goal. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022.
  30. Dores, Márcia (July 19, 2019). "Cloe Lacasse contratada" [Cloe Lacasse signed]. SL Benfica (in Portuguese).
  31. Pascal, Randy (August 16, 2019). "Lacasse signs with Portuguese club". The Sudbury Star.
  32. "Futebolista Cloé Lacasse assina por duas épocas com o Benfica" [Footballer Cloé Lacasse signs for two seasons with Benfica]. SIC Notícias (in Portuguese). July 19, 2019.
  33. "Cloe Lacasse, made her name in Portuguese football history". Focus Portuguese. Facebook. December 20, 2021.
  34. "Cloé Lacasse assina pelo Benfica" [Cloé Lacasse signs for Benfica]. SAPO. July 14, 2021.
  35. "Entretien avec Cloé Lacasse, joueuse de soccer professionnelle de Sudbury" [Interview with Cloé Lacasse, professional soccer player from Sudbury]. Ici Radio-Canada Télé (in French). June 4, 2021.
  36. Davidson, Neil (April 7, 2021). "Sudbury winger Cloe Lacasse 'honoured and excited' to get Canada call-up". Toronto Star.
  37. "Lacasse Earns U-20 Invite". Iowa Hawkeyes. June 15, 2012.
  38. Clos, Tom (August 28, 2012). "Iowa soccer's Lacasse utilizing international experience". The Daily Iowan.
  39. Breiðfjörður, Hafliði (June 20, 2019). "Jón Þór: Cloe kemur að sjálfsögðu til greina í landsliðið" [Jón Þór: Cloe is of course considered for the national team]. Fótbolti.net (in Icelandic).
  40. Ólafsson, Hjörvar (December 5, 2019). "Bestu aðstæður sem ég hef upplifað" [The best conditions I have ever experienced]. Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic).
  41. Leifsson, Anton Ingi (July 10, 2020). "Jón Þór um Cloe: "Hún uppfyllir ekki kröfur FIFA"" [Jón Þór about Cloe: "She does not meet FIFA's requirements"]. Vísir (in Icelandic).
  42. "Eyjakonan valin í landslið Kanada" [The island woman selected for Canada's national team]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). April 1, 2021.
  43. Pascal, Randy (April 5, 2021). "Patience and persistence pay off for Cloe Lacasse". Sudbury Sports.
  44. Reis, Rafael (April 10, 2021). "Persistência e evolução levam Cloé à seleção" [Persistence and evolution lead Cloé to selection]. Lado F.
  45. "Lacasse scores in CanWNT win over Argentina". TSN. October 6, 2022.
  46. Bashir, Raheem (October 8, 2022). "Three Takeaways: Cloé Lacasse Scores First CanWNT Goal in Win". Last Word on Sports.
  47. "Cloé Lacasse et les Canadiennes défont l'Argentine" [Cloé Lacasse and the Canadians defeat Argentina]. RDS (in French). October 6, 2022.
  48. "Cloe Lacasse KSI Profile". Football Association of Iceland.
  49. "Cloe Lacasse Statistics". Playmaker Stats.
  50. Sigurðarson, Orri Rafn (September 26, 2017). "Cloe um íslenskan ríkisborgararétt: Yrði heiður að fá tækifæri" [Cloe on Icelandic citizenship: It would be an honour to have the opportunity]. Fótbolti.net (in Icelandic).
  51. Jónsson, Óskar Ófeigur (September 18, 2018). "Skoraði fernu í gær og dreymir um að verða Íslendingur í desember" [Scored a goal yesterday and dreams of becoming an Icelander in December]. Vísir (in Icelandic).
  52. Sverrisson, Sindri (May 12, 2018). "Yrði mikill heiður að spila fyrir Ísland" [It would be a great honour to play for Iceland]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic).
  53. Eggertsdóttir, Ástrós Ýr (June 13, 2019). "Cloé Lacasse við það að fá íslenskan ríkisborgararétt" [Cloé Lacasse about to receive Icelandic citizenship]. Vísir (in Icelandic).
  54. "Lagt til að Cloé öðlist íslenskan ríkisborgararétt" [It was suggested that Cloé acquire Icelandic citizenship]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). June 13, 2019.
  55. Þór Sæmundsson, Ingvi (June 20, 2019). "Cloé komin með íslenskan ríkisborgararétt: "Sannarlega biðarinnar virði"" [Cloé now has Icelandic citizenship: "Truly worth the wait"]. Vísir (in Icelandic).
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.