Wisconsin Soccer Central

After 14 months of rehabilitation coming back from a torn ACL in her right knee, Lauren Sesselmann (Green Bay Notre Dame) reached her ultimate goal.

The 31-year-old Houston Dash defender was one of 23 players named to Canada's roster for this summer's Women's World Cup by coach John Herdman during a ceremony Monday in Vancouver.

Sesselmann, who was born in Stevens Point, has dual citizenship because her father is Canadian. She played her first competitive match since January 2014 on April 9, logging 45 minutes in her 41st cap, a 1-0 loss to France in a friendly in Paris.

While this will be Sesselmann's first Women's World Cup, she helped Canada win the gold medal at the 2011 Pan-American Games in Mexico and was part of the bronze medal-winning Canadian side at the 2012 London Olympics.

The only Wisconsin natives to play in a Women's World Cup are Leslie Osborne (Brookfield/Waukesha Catholic Memorial) and Lindsay Tarpley (Madison), who were teammates on the 2007 U.S. side that finished third in the tournament in China.

Canada – tied for eighth in the FIFA Women's World Rankings – will play China, New Zealand and the Netherlands in Group A at the Women's World Cup, which is June 6 to July 5 in Edmonton, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Winnipeg. The Canadians will take on England in a friendly May 29 in Hamilton, Ontario, in their final preparation for the tournament.

On Twitter: @lsesselmann