Wake Forest Athletics
Smerdzinksi, Fountain Named National Team Finalists
6/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
June 4, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest women's soccer athletes Amy Smerdzinski and Kaley Fountain will participate in the final training camps for the U.S. U-23 and U-20 teams this week.
"I am so proud of Kaley and Amy. To have them represent the U.S. and Wake Forest is an honor," Wake Forest head coach Tony da Luz said. "I am particularly excited for Amy because she deserves this opportunity to show her special instincts for the game."
In her first national team appearance, Wake Forest rising senior Amy Smerdzinski has been selected as one of the 24 finalists that will compete this month for a spot on the U.S. U-23 roster.
The final intensive camp will begin on June 5 in Carson, Calif. The schedule features nearly five hours of training each day, along with exhibition matches with clubs in the area. After the camp concludes on June 12, the final members of the roster will prepare for the Nordic Cup in July.
Kaley Fountain is getting set to participate in the last U.S. U-20 training camp, which whittles down the current 24-person roster to the final 20 athletes. The camp will be held at high-altitude in Park City, Utah to simulate conditions in the opening rounds of the women's qualifiers, slated to take place in Puebla, Mexico from June 14-28.
The finalized U.S. squad will join other teams in Group A for the opening matches, which include Cuba, Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago. Group B includes Canada, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Nicaragua. The top three teams in the opening tournament will advance to the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Chile, scheduled for Nov. 19 to Dec. 7.
Last season, Fountain made her first appearance with the U.S. U-20 squad, helping the team advance to the PanAm Finals.
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