May 31, 2010
Ellis Names U.S. U-20 Women's World Cup Team • FIFA U-20 World Cup Germany 2010
CHICAGO, Ill. -- Penn State women's soccer sophomore midfielder Christine Nairn (Arnold, Md.) and incoming freshman forward Maya Hayes (Livingston, N.J.) were named to the United States' 21-player roster for the 2010 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The duo will begin Cup play in Germany from July 13-Aug. 1.
Nairn, who is one of two players to make her second U-20 World Cup appearance on the U.S. team, is a key starter for the Americans. Nairn started four of six games in Chile 2008 as the U.S. captured the title. The other U.S. player making her second appearance is striker Sydney Leroux of UCLA.
Nairn and Leroux helped captain the Stars and Stripes to the CONCACAF title this past January in Guatemala. That five-game campaign saw the United States go undefeated and untied with a potent offense supplied by Nairn in the central midfield and Leroux up top. Nairn is the only woman on the team to appear for the U.S. senior side earning two caps with a game-winning goal scored in a July 22, 2009 match against Canada.
Nairn tallied two goals in a 6-0 drubbing of Jamaica to open the CONCACAF Championships on Jan. 21. She followed that effort with a stellar performance against Trinidad & Tobago, playing a part in all four goals during the the Jan. 23 match, earning the U.S. Player of the Match accolades.
Joining Nairn will be future Nittany Lion Hayes. Hayes was also a member of the team that captured the regional title in January. Hayes will be making her second FIFA age-group championship, as she was a member of the U-17 squad that played to the runner-up spot in the 2008 edition of the World Cup in New Zealand.
Hayes has been a factor for the U.S. all year as a reserve including a game-winning goal at the La Manga Cup in Spain this past February. Hayes notched the tally in a 1-0 win over Norway's U-23 squad on Feb. 22 as the team went 2-0-1. The U.S. is 14-1-3 overall and 11-0-1 in international matches in 2010.
Penn State's representation on the squad is matched by Boston College and North Carolina, while Stanford, Florida State and UCLA put forth three players to Jill Ellis's team. Ellis leads her team into World Cup play on July 14 against Ghana in Dresden, Germany. On July 17, the Americans take on Switzerland in Dresden before closing out Group D play against South Korea on July 21 in Bielefeld.
Should the United States advance out of Group D, as either of the top two teams in its group, the Americans will face England, Nigeria, Japan or regional rival Mexico. The knockout stages are set for July 24-25, the semifinals on July 29 and the final on August 1.
In preparation for the World Cup, the United States will play two exhibitions on June 10 (vs. Japan) and June 10 (at Germany).
For complete coverage of the two Nittany Lions during their time with the U-20s, check GoPSUsports.com for updates.
--NITTANY LIONS--