CHICAGO – Penn State women’s soccer redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress earned a spot on the United States roster for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, the United States Soccer Federation and U.S. U-20 WYNT Head Coach Tracey Kevins announced Thursday morning.
Gress, a native of Lyndhurst, New Jersey, will enter her third season of work with the Penn State women’s soccer team in the 2024 campaign, establishing one of the strongest goalkeeper cores in the nation alongside teammates Amanda Poorbaugh and Kealey Titmuss. In Happy Valley, Gress has previously served as one of the key understudies behind current Portland Thorns FC goalkeeper Katherine Asman, gaining valuable experience while growing into one of the premier keepers in the nation.
Over the course of her redshirt freshman season in 2023, Gress appeared in four matches behind Asman while accumulating 88 total minutes of playing time. The Nittany Lion shot-stopper was instrumental in preserving three combined shutouts last season, including combined clean sheets against Big Ten Conference opponent Maryland and NCAA Tournament first round opponent Central Connecticut State. Gress has yet to surrender a goal in her collegiate soccer career. Academically, Gress has been honored as an Academic All-Big Ten selection in recognition of her stellar efforts in the classroom.
One of the rising stars in the U.S. Youth National Team ranks, Gress has established herself as one of the most consistent contributors to the program’s U-20 Team over the past year and a half. Gress has appeared on multiple rosters for the U.S. U-20 WYNT in recent months, participating in multiple training camps and friendly matches throughout the spring and summer. In March, Gress appeared on the roster for matches against Germany and Canada in Europe, following that selection up with training camp and matches against South Korea and Mexico prior to Thursday’s confirmation of her selection to the Women’s World Cup roster.
Gress was one of 10 athletes who participated in the qualifying tournament for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, rostering with the Red, White and Blue at the 2023 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship in the Dominican Republic. In total, the U.S. roster heading to Colombia features eight professional athletes in their rookie seasons of National Women’s Soccer League competition, 12 collegiate athletes and one athlete still participating in youth soccer. Players born on or after January 1, 2004, are eligible for the World Cup roster.
For the first time ever, and in the tournament’s 11th installment, the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will feature 24 nations. The competition started in 2002 as a 12-team tournament played at the U-19 level, with the 2004 event also following that format before moving to U-20 for the 2006 tournament. The United States has played in every FIFA tournament held in this age class. The United States will compete against 23 additional foes in the tournament, including host Colombia, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela and Argentina from CONMEBOL, France, Spain, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands from UEFA, Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica from CONCACAF, Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria and Ghana from the CAF, Australia, South Korea, Japan and North Korea from the AFC and New Zealand and Fiji from the OFC.
The 24 participating nations were drawn into six groups of four teams. The top two finishers in each group along with the four best third-place teams will advance to the Round of 16 to be played on Wednesday, September 11, and Thursday, September 12. The winners of those matches advance to the Quarterfinals on Sunday, September 15, from which the winners will advance to the Semifinals on Wednesday, September 18. The Third-Place Match will be held on Saturday, September 21 with the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Final taking place on Sunday, September 22. Matches will take place at four stadiums in three Colombian cities: Bogotá’s El Campín Stadium and El Techo Stadium, Cali’s Pascual Guerrero Stadium and Medellin’s Atanasio Girardot Stadium.
Gress and Team USA will open the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup on Sunday, September 1 at 4 p.m. (ET) against reigning FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup champions Spain, will face Morocco on Wednesday, September 4 at 9 p.m. (ET) and will finish the group stage against Paraguay on Saturday, September 7 at 7 p.m. (ET). The U.S. will play its first two group games at Pascual Guerrero Stadium in Cali and its third at El Techo Stadium in the nation’s capital of Bogotá.
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