Kailen Sheridan eager to fill Canada's 'keeper shoes left behind by retired Labbé

Canadian women's team goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan can't stop smiling these days. 

Last week, the 26-year-old from Pickering, Ont., got engaged to her long-time girlfriend, with the couple expecting to get married late next year. 

Things are going just as well on the pitch for Sheridan. She's enjoying a standout NWSL season with the San Diego Wave, recording four shutouts as the expansion club sits in first place after 10 games. 

Sheridan is also set to begin an important new chapter in her international career — that of the undisputed starting goalkeeper for the Canadian women's team, which hosts South Korea on Sunday at Toronto's BMO Field in an international friendly. That game serves as preparation for July's CONCACAF W Championship in Mexico, which is the qualifying competition for the 2023 FIFA World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

The CONCACAF qualifiers will be Canada's first major tournament since the retirement of veteran goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé in April. With Labbé out of the picture, it'll now be up to Sheridan, who has 21 caps since her international debut in 2016, to help carry this team forward. 

Coach Bev Priestman gave Sheridan a public vote of confidence last week when she named her roster for the South Korea match, reiterating that the No. 1 goalkeeper's job rests in her hands. 

"I wouldn't say it adds any pressure, but honestly it gives me a lot of confidence that someone like Bev would say that and be really confident in her own mind about that," Sheridan told CBC Sports. "Ultimately, as much as I always want to perform and be the best I can be, now I want to put it out there for her and for the team.

"Bev going out on a limb for me, it makes me want to play harder for her."

For Sheridan, this