“I know what I want, I know where I want to go, and I know how I’m going to get there. »
These are the words of Quebec goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx. And what is this popular destination? The World Cup, perhaps? Not exactly, because the 24-year-old Bouchervilloise will be taking part in just a few days.
Already, she knows exactly what her goals will be for the years to come. Here they are :
“I want to be [Canada’s] number one goaltender at some point. So slowly, but surely, I hope to get there. I also want to earn as much as possible. Whether at the World Cup, the Olympics or the Champions League. I want to win, ”says Proulx, just as assured as posed in a videoconference with La Presse.
For this presentation of the World Cup, the jailer will be confined to the role of third guardian, unless there is a considerable turnaround. She will support the two veterans Kailen Sheridan, the starter, and Sabrina D’Angelo.
It’s an occasion that was made possible by the retirements of Erin McLeod and Olympics heroine Stephanie Labbé. In this quest to be part of this long tradition of outstanding goalkeepers, Proulx will try to get the most out of this World Cup.
The Australia and New Zealand World Cup kicks off on July 20. However, the adventure for Proulx began long before the first meeting of Canada. In fact, it started as soon as the selection camp was launched, at the end of June.
The good news for the native of the South Shore is that she will be able to focus on learning, because she will evolve in a known environment.
First, the one who participated in two editions of the World Cup under 17 and one under 20 has already acted as a third goalkeeper for a World Cup. Well, that was when she was 14, but she still remembers the script.
“My first year in the U17s, I was the third goalkeeper. I expect the same role this year. I think a third goalkeeper is younger and comes for the experience, because it’s rare that she sees ground. In my case, I have to try to build some kind of baggage,” she says.
On the other hand, she knows Canada’s head coach Bev Priestman quite well. Since the age of 13, to be precise. However, even though Priestman has “seen her growing up”, Proulx is confident that the English driver “is always going to make the decision that is best for the group”.
“So the fact that I’ve known her for so long isn’t necessarily going to give me an advantage.” »
Nevertheless, these will be aspects that will be invaluable to him for his first steps. Bathing in this environment where everything is “bigger” and with “the cream of the crop”. The perfect kind of teaching for a keeper with big ambitions.
After completing her university internship in Syracuse, Lysianne Proulx played her first professional season this year with SCU Torreense in Portugal.
The club finished seventh in the Premier League league standings, and the Canadian played in 18 of the club’s 22 matches. She conceded 35 goals during the campaign.
“The season is really longer than at the university level. But I’ll tell you my last semester of college, I was just acting, so I was ready to take the leap,” she notes.
That said, although it was “a great experience”, especially for a first professional club, the goalkeeper has decided not to re-sign with the club and will start the next season elsewhere. She already specifies that she has reached an agreement with a team whose identity will be revealed shortly.
However, before embarking on this adventure, Proulx will have to try to steal a few pages from the game books of his counterparts and take advantage of this World Cup to take another step towards his sole objective: to triumph.
