Western Kentucky soccer rising sophomore Deven Jackson has received an invitation to New Zealand’s U-20 Women’s World Cup training camp this week as the nation looks to build its team for this summer’s event.

The Auckland, New Zealand, native will compete in the training camp Tuesday through Friday, with the final team selection slated to happen later this summer.

New Zealand will open play in the U-20 Women’s World Cup on Aug. 5 against the Netherlands in Vannes, France. 

In her first season at WKU last fall, Jackson made 15 appearances and had one start for the Lady Toppers, playing a total of 617 minutes as a freshman.

Jackson notched a pair of assists on the season, including assisting on Chandler Backes’ match-winner against Evansville on Sept. 3.

The midfielder has previously spent time with New Zealand’s U-17 and U-19 programs and earned a spot on the U-17 World Cup roster, but could not compete due to an injury just before the event.

The 2018 U-20 Women’s World Cup will be hosted by France during Aug. 5-24 in the cities of Vannes, Saint-Malo, Concarneau and Dinan-Lehon. New Zealand will compete in the event for the seventh time in the nation’s history and posted its best showing in 2014, reaching the quarterfinals of the biannual tournament. North Korea is the reigning champion after claiming the title in Papua New Guinea in 2016.