Team Canada made a run and came up just short, but it would be hard to say the women’s World Cup wasn’t a success for the host nation. It’s a team on the move — of course, so, too, are many other nations — with a promising roster. In the middle of it all, we know, is West Virginia star Kadeisha Buchanan. She was (and has been) among the best defenders in the event, and she’s just 19 years old, which portends great things for her future and for Canada’s, a reality FIFA.com could not resist, even in defeat.

But as the dust settles and the worst of the sadness and disappointment ebbs away, the time comes to take stock and look ahead to the future, in which a rising star in the Canada defence is destined to have a big say.

Kadeisha Buchanan was in tears when the final whistle was blown in Canada’s 2-1 defeat, but she soon snapped out of it when her mind turned to the shape of things to come. “It’s a big responsibility, because our future will only be bright through a team effort,” the down-to-earth 19-year-old told FIFA.com. “But I know that I have to start taking on a leadership role now. I have been playing in this team for three years and I think I can do even more. There are a number of us in the team who are both young and experienced.”

That would include WVU teammate Ashley Lawrence, who scored in group play and who has carved out a sport for herself after questions about her role that now amount to passing clouds, and Jessie Fleming, a 17-year-old who is committed to — gasp! — UCLA. But the WVU tandem has been good for the Mountaineers, which is precisely the sort of thing Kicking Nikki foresaw more than a year ago, and things just might get even better and more difficult to ignore.

This is an amazing honor @keishaballa & so deserving! On the biggest stage U keep impacting your talent & hard work! https://t.co/g79V7ch9Pm

— Nikki Izzo-Brown (@WVUIzzoBrown) July 2, 2015