Nov. 30, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State women's soccer standout Christine Nairn (Arnold, Md.) and 2007 graduate Ali Krieger will represent Penn State at December's U.S. Women's National Team training camp in Carson, Calif. The two are apart of a 31-player camp that will fill out the Olympic Qualifying roster ahead of the 2012 London Games.
Krieger is a mainstay on the U.S. National Team after her spectacular performance during the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany, helping to lead the Americans to the championship game. Krieger's exploits also included a clinching penalty kick in a thrilling match against Brazil in the quarterfinals that set up the stunning run for the U.S.
Nairn, who represented the United States in the 2008 and 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, is one of five collegiate players selected to participate in the 18-day camp that starts Saturday. Moreover, Nairn is just one of two non-graduating college players (Kristen Mewis, Boston College). She also has two full-team appearances to her name, both of which came in 2009 against Canada, scoring the game-winner in a 1-0 victory at Charleston, S.C.
Nairn had another excellent season for Penn State ratcheting All-Big Ten First Team honors for the third straight year. The junior midfielder scored three times and set up 13 goals, a new career-high and the most since Christie Welsh set a school-record with 18 helpers in 2001. The 13 assists put Nairn in second behind Welsh's 2001 Hermann Trophy-winning mark for a Penn State junior, while pushing the Arnold, Md. native into a tie for fifth all-time at PSU with 29 in a career (Stephanie Smith, 2000-03).
The U.S. camp runs from Dec. 3-20 and is a precursor to a January camp where head coach Pia Sundhage will call 30 players in ahead of the 2012 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Vancouver, B.C. (Jan. 19-29). During the January camp, the 30-plus players will be whittled down to 20 that will participate in the tournament. Penn State has never been represented at the Olympics in women's soccer as Krieger was the first Penn Stater to participate in a Women's World Cup and the first Penn Stater, man or woman, to play in a World Cup Final.
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--NITTANY LIONS--