May 18, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. - Five members of Stanford's 2011 national championship women's soccer team are in U.S. national team camps this week.
The U.S. under-23's include Camille Levin `12, Mariah Nogueira `13, Lindsay Taylor `12 and Courtney Verloo `13. The under-20's include Chioma Ubogagu `15.
Both camps began May 13 and continue through Sunday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The teams scrimmaged each other twice, on Tuesday and Thursday.
Of the U-23's, Nogueira and Verloo will return this fall as the Cardinal defends the title it captured with a 1-0 victory over Duke on Dec. 4 to cap a 25-0-1 season. First-team All-Americans Levin and Taylor will graduate in June. They are among 24 players are in the U.S. camp.
Levin, who plays for the Pali Blues semipro team, and Taylor, who is unattached, were members of the U-23 team that captured the Four Nations Tournament in La Manga, Spain, in late February and early March.
The U-20 squad is preparing for the FIFA U-20 World Cup to be played in Japan from Aug. 19-Sept. 8. The U.S. won the CONCACAF tournament title in Panama on March 11 with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Canada in the title match.
Now, the 26-player team has reassembled after beating China in a pair of matches in mid-April in Carson. Ubogagu scored a goal in each victory, 4-1 and 3-0, and has six goals in eight U-20 international matches. Stanford goalkeeper Emily Oliver `14 also was on that team, but is not participating in this camp.
The U.S. will play New Zealand's U-20's on Saturday.
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Ali Riley '10 has clinched an Olympic berth with her New Zealand national team. The Football Ferns were seeded into a playoff against first-round winner Papua New Guinea. In a two stage Oceania confederation final, New Zealand won by scores of 8-0 and 7-0 for the aggregate victory.
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The Women's Professional Soccer league has folded.
The WPS, founded by former Stanford player Tonya Antonucci in 2009, had canceled the 2012 season in January during a legal dispute with a former owner. Owners of the remaining five teams, however, decided to dissolve the league for good and announced the decision Friday.
Eight former Cardinal had played in the WPS, including the past two rookies of the year - Christen Press (2011) and Riley (2010). Also, Nicole Barnhart '04 was the 2010 Goalkeeper of the Year and Natalie Spilger '04 was named as the league's Sportswoman of the Year.
Levin (No. 4, Sky Blue FC), Taylor (No. 6, Western New York Flash), and Teresa Noyola '12 (No. 7, Western New York) each were selected among the first seven picks of the WPS draft on Jan. 13. Another Cardinal, Kristy Zurmuhlen '12, also was slated to join the league, with Sky Blue FC.
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Three former Stanford players - Barnhart, captain Rachel Buehler `07, and Kelley O'Hara '10 - are in camp with the full U.S. national team. The camp began May 10 in Princeton, N.J., and the team will disperse after a friendly against China on May 27 at PPL Park in Chester, Pa.
There are 28 players in camp, but only 18 will be selected for the Olympic squad. That selection will take place on an undisclosed date in June. The U.S. will play Canada on June 30 in Sandy, Utah, in a final tuneup for the London Games.
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Stanford opens its fall season with an exhibition match Aug. 10 against visiting Fresno State at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. The Cardinal then opens officially on Aug. 17 against visiting Santa Clara. Kickoff in each is 7 p.m. The full schedule will be released Monday on gostanford.com.
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Stanford's final match of the spring season is Tuesday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m. at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium against the semipro California Storm of the Women's Premier Soccer League.