TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 4, 2022 – The University of South Florida women's soccer team will have two of its student-athletes representing Canada at the upcoming U-20 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica. Vivianne Bessette (Montreal, Quebec) and Serita Thurton (Ajax, Ontario) were named to the U-20 Canadian National Team for the upcoming tournament.
 
Canada will play in Group C alongside France, Nigeria and South Korea. The Canadian's first game is on Aug. 11 at 10 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Fox Sports One. Canada will also play France on Aug. 14 at 10 p.m. ET (Fox Sports Two) and Nigeria on Aug. 17 at 10 p.m. ET (Fox Sports Two).
 
The top two teams in group C will advance to the knockout stage, which runs from Aug. 20 through Aug. 28.
 
Bessette and Thurton both joined the Bulls in 2020 and the pair immediately found starting roles with the team. Bessette found further success on the team's back line, being named a two-time AAC All-Conference First Team member and a 2020 United Soccer Coaches All-Region First Team member.
 
Thurton previously played with the Canadian U-17 team at the 2018 Women's World Cup in Uruguay. Bessette has prior national experience as well, playing with the Bulgarian at multiple UEFA competitions with the U-17 team.

Chiara Hahn (Lauterbach, Germany) was also selected as an alternate for the German National Team at the tournament. 
 
About USF Women's Soccer
Be sure to follow USF women's soccer on social media (Twitter / Instagram/Facebook) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. 
 
The USF women's soccer team has posted ten consecutive seasons of 10-plus wins under head coach Denise Schilte-Brown. The Bulls made their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2010 and returned in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. South Florida has five consecutive seasons with a conference championship, earning the tournament title in 2017, 2019 and 2020 as well as the regular-season title in 2018, 2020 and 2021. The program had its first draft pick and second-highest pick in USF Athletics history with Evelyne Viens being taken with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NWSL Draft by Sky Blue FC, now Gotham FC.

-#GoBulls-