March 16, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Six members of the Penn State women's soccer team recently competed for the United States Women's Soccer National Team overseas in La Manga, Spain, for the 2016 La Manga Tournament.
Five Nittany Lions were on the U.S. Under-20 Women's National Team, while one Penn Stater was on the U.S. Under-18 Women's National Team. GoPSUsports.com recently caught up with the six Nittany Lions following their trip to La Manga, Spain.
Rose Chandler (Atlanta, Ga.), Maddie Elliston (Omaha, Neb.), Ellie Jean (Coventry, Conn.), Emily Ogle (Strongsville, Ohio) and Kaleigh Riehl (Fairfax Station, Va.) were on the U.S. Under-20 Women's National Team roster, while Amanda Dennis (Palmetto, Fla.) joined the U.S. Under-18 Women's National Team.
The U.S. U-20 Women's National Team went 2-0-1 against U-23 teams from England, Norway and Sweden.
The U.S. U-20 Women's National Team opened up play with a 1-1 draw against Sweden on March 2. All five Nittany Lions started in the contest.
The US responded to the 1-1 draw with a 1-0 win against England on March 4. Elliston, Ogle and Riehl started in the match, while Jean subbed in for Elliston in the 90th minute.
The U.S. U-20 Women's National Team closed out the tournament with a 2-1 win over Norway on March 6. Chandler started and played a shutout first half before subbing out at halftime. Also in the match, Jean started, while Ogle subbed in during the 76th minute.
Dennis represented Penn State on the U.S. Under-18 Women's National Team and tallied a pair of 1-0 victories for the Red, White and Blue.
Against the U-19 England WNT on March 5, Dennis made four saves and she also recorded a pair of saves against the U-19 Norway WNT on March 7.
Q: What were your expectations heading into the La Manga Tournament?
Chandler: My expectations for our team were not about winning or losing. As a team we went into this tournament wanting to play these older teams and learn what our weaknesses were as a group. An older more experienced side would be able to expose our weaknesses and that's exactly what we wanted to figure out.
Dennis: Going into the tournament I was expecting to play in some pretty physical and fast paced matches against girls that were a few years older than my teammates and I. I also knew that the conditions were going to be a little different than here in the U.S. because I was told that during this time of the year it gets very windy in La Manga.
Elliston: Heading into the La Manga Tournament this March I knew I could expect an extremely competitive environment and an opportunity to grow as a player. Truly you never know what the competition will be like or bring until you are in the midst of the game itself. I did know however, that I had prepared properly for the event and would do my best with whatever I was faced with in La Manga.
Jean: It's always an honor to be able to represent the US and heading to La Manga I knew I was going to have a great time. Considering I was going to be around some of the best players in the country and from other countries, it is a challenging environment, but forever a great experience. The expectations were high for our team to be able to compete even though we were playing mainly older players and we learned so much from that tournament.
Ogle: Going into the La Manga Tournament we were expecting to gain some experience against older women. We played in the U23 bracket so we knew the speed of play was going to be quicker and the opponents were going to be bigger, stronger, and faster. We knew it was going to be a good challenge and an opportunity to get better.
Riehl: Heading into camp I expected a challenging, competitive environment, especially since we were playing an age group up. I expected Sweden, England, and Norway to pose different problems for us because they are bigger, stronger, and more experienced.
Q: What was the most beneficial part of the La Manga Tournament?
Chandler: The most beneficial part of this tournament was getting to play in international games against girls that are one to three years older. That kind of international experience is huge for individual and team development.
Dennis: The most beneficial part of the tournament was being able to play against other international players that were a couple years older than all of us.
Elliston: The La Manga Tournament allows players to experience international competition and for this particular one older international competition as we are a part of the U-20 team and competed against U-23s. Every time you get to play in big games as such, it provides you with an opportunity to show case yourself and afterwards you go back to the drawing board. As a soccer player and competitor you are constantly analyzing yourself and trying to learn your strengths and weaknesses so you can continue to improve.
Jean: The most beneficial part of the La Manga trip was playing some really talented teams such as Sweden, England and Norway. They all play a different style of soccer and all have something else to bring to the table so learning the tactics of how to go into each game and the ways that we could succeed was such a learning curve for every player in camp. The best part of being with the U.S. National Team is just how much you grow and learn as a player and person in the challenging environment.
Ogle: I think gaining that experience against older women who were bigger and played quicker was very beneficial especially with the U20 World Cup coming up next fall. Anytime you get international experience, it challenges you as an individual and a team to be better.
Riehl:The La Manga Tournament was beneficial because it allowed for an opportunity to play against international competition. It gave us a chance to play together and become more cohesive as a group. Since the games were friendlies, it allowed for us to focus on the process and growth rather than focus solely on results.
Q: Outside of the tournament, what was the best part of the trip?
Chandler: I love seeing my teammates and getting to spend time with them because most of them live in other parts of the country. I have many close friends on the team and I enjoy building chemistry on and off the field, especially on international trips because we spend less time training due to the intensity of the matches.
Dennis: I would say that the best part of the trip outside of the tournament was being able to drive down to the beach and swim in the Mediterranean Sea. I have never been to Europe before and we were lucky enough to be close to the ocean, so for me that was a pretty cool experience.
Elliston: In La Manga we were able to visit the beach which was only 20 minutes from the hotel. Often times on soccer events you are cooped up in hotels but this little trip to the beach for an afternoon recovery session was awesome! Clear sunny skies and beautiful blue ocean.
Jean: Outside of the tournament, getting to see a lot of my friends that I've made through the program was awesome! Now that we are all at different schools it becomes a lot harder to stay in touch with all the busy schedules so bonding with the all the girls off the field is so much fun! We also got to go to the beach for regeneration one day and it was gorgeous!
Ogle: I had a lot of fun just getting to know the other girls and hanging out with them. Whether it was in the hotel, or one day we went to La Manga Beach, it's always exciting to get to know people from other schools.
Riehl: Outside of training and games, the best part of the trip was getting to catch up with teammates and coaches that I don't get to see on a daily basis. I also enjoyed meeting new players that I had never been in camp with before.
Q: What does the opportunity to represent Team USA mean to you?
Chandler: Getting to represent my country is the highest honor for me. I get to play the sport I love for the country I love. I can't think of anything else I'd rather spend my time doing.
Dennis: Whenever I get the chance to go to a U.S. National Team camp or an international tournament it is such an honor to be able to wear the crest and represent my country out on the field. I never take these moments for granted because ever since I was little I dreamed about playing on the national team and now that dream has become a reality.
Elliston: Getting to play for Team USA is obviously extremely exciting and something I should never take for granted. The opportunity is credit to the environment I have been placed in - incredible coaches and teammates, my family, and God. My overall goal is to be on the full Women's National Team so this is a good step in the right direction. In the meantime I am going to enjoy the opportunity given to me and then make the absolute most from it. The team provides me with very knowledgeable coaches and a great learning environment.
Jean: Getting to represent the United States is such an indescribable feeling. It's always something that you have to remind yourself not to take for granted because it such a precious experience. I love knowing that I'm not only representing my country but Penn State, my family and friends at home and knowing that I'm trying to represent everyone that made this journey possible for me, to the best of my ability.
Ogle: It's always an honor to wear the crest and represent the U.S. I'm very grateful I got the opportunity to do so in La Manga.
Riehl: It is always an honor to represent the U.S. and wear the crest. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to do what I love at the highest level. I cherish every moment of the experience and try to learn as much as I can each day.
Q: What was it like heading to Spain with members of the Penn State women's soccer team?
Chandler: Heading to Spain with my teammates was so fun because I consider them to be some of my best friends. Since we play together everyday at school, playing with them comes so naturally. My teammates are not only incredible players, they are great people to be around. They made a 24 hour travel day an enjoyable experience!
Dennis: Being able to travel to Spain with five of my PSU teammates was pretty special because it's great to see that the girls that I'm playing and competing with here in college are also playing at the same international level as well. Although I wasn't able to play along side them because they are all on the older U20 team, I was able to go to all of their games and cheer them on.
Elliston: I absolutely love being able to travel and play on this U20 National Team with my Penn State teammates. I would say it is a rarity to find five players from the same college team on a national team together.
Jean: It was so comforting heading to La Manga with some of the greatest teammates a player could ask for. It gave me so much more confidence knowing that I'm playing with some familiar faces and knowing they all have my back and support me. We know how to pick each other up if we're having a bad day in a challenging environment like what we were presented with and it was so nice to know they would be there for me. Overall we had a great time together and with all the other players!
Ogle: We're so fortunate to have so many quality players here at Penn State and have so many of us be able to go represent the U.S. in La Manga. It's always a fun time traveling and spending time with my teammates. They keep sometimes long and tiring travel days interesting and fun.
Riehl: It was great to be able to travel to Spain with my Penn State teammates. They are my best friends, so having the opportunity to go to Spain and play with them is really special. It's nice to have so many members from Penn State be involved with the U.S. National Team and I think it speaks volumes to our Penn State coaches. They provide the greatest college environment for us to grow and thrive and we're all grateful for them.
Q: For Emily, Maddie and Kaleigh, what was it like heading back to La Manga, Spain, after playing there last year?
Elliston: La Manga always presents you with great competition and new challenges as I had mentioned earlier. It is always fun getting to play in Spain and this year was no different! The entire team learned a lot from the trip and I am honored to have been a part of it.
Ogle: This was my third time attending the La Manga Tournament, and each time has been a new unique experience. Each of the teams we've played have presented us with different challenges. But, having been there last year we were more prepared to deal with and overcome certain challenges. I think every time you get an opportunity like this, you learn something new and take something different away from every experience.
Riehl: I was obviously really excited to go back to Spain again this year. It was interesting to see how we've grown both individually and as a team since the last time we played together in Spain, and we were able to find areas that we still need to improve on. Just like last year, this year's tournament was a great international experience that everyone will benefit from.
Q: Rose, you traveled to Spain last fall and Honduras in December, what have you learned from all of the U-20 experiences over the past few months?
Chandler: Getting to travel to Spain twice within the past few months has helped my game tremendously. I've grown as a player and as a person. I understand what a privilege it is to have received these opportunities and I never want to take one for granted. The international game experience is so important for development. Teams from other countries have different styles of play so it is always a great challenge for us, as a country, when competing against them.
Q: Amanda, you tallied a pair of shutout victories against England and Norway over the week. What was that feeling like?
Dennis: On this trip I had the opportunity to play in my first and second international cap which was an amazing and unforgettable experience. Getting a shutout in both games as well made it that much better. Going into both of the games I knew that I was going to have to come up big for my team and make some high level saves against some challenging European teams and I was able to do that, which ultimately led to us winning both of those games.