X-Women soccer midfielder Larissa White to represent Canada at futsal event

(Antigonish, NS) – StFX X-Women soccer midfielder Larissa White was recently selected to represent Canada at the World University Futsal Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan this coming August.

A second year science student from Westphal, N.S. who transferred from Alabama State University, Larissa played her first season (and third year of eligibility) with the X-Women this past fall where she was honoured as an AUS first team all-star for her play on the field.

X-Women head coach Graham Kennedy notes, "Larissa has proven herself to be one of the top players in the AUS in the midfield position and her exceptional technical abilities are tailor-made for futsal. I know she will make represent her school, conference and country with pride."

Coach Kennedy himself represented Canada at the women's 2016 World University Futsal Championship in Goiânia, Brazil as an assistant coach.

Futsal is a modified version of the game of football (soccer) that features five players aside (including the goalkeeper) with unlimited substitutions, playing two 20-minutes halves on a marked indoor playing surface. The World University Futsal Championship is held every two years with the men's championship dating back to 1984, while the women's championship was newly integrated into the FISU (International University Sports Federation) program in 2010.

White will join other soccer athletes from across U SPORTS on the final roster for the woman's team representing Canada at the international event in Almaty, Kazakhstan from August 19th to 26th. Coached by Alexandre Da Rocha, head coach of the UQAM Citadens, the team will be holding a training camp in Montreal in early August prior to their departure for Kazakhstan.

Extremely grateful for even the opportunity to try out for the team, White comments, "I am so excited to have made it and I am really looking forward to the event. It is going to be such an amazing experience to represent my country, as well as StFX University in Kazakhstan, and I am very excited to be a part of this. This will no doubt be one of the highlights of my university and soccer career and I want to thank all those who have assisted me in achieving this goal."

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