June 1, 2010
COLLEGE PARK, MD. -
University of Maryland rising junior Sade Ayinde was among the 21 players chosen by U.S. Under-20 Women's National Team head coach Jillian Ellis to represent the United States at the 2010 FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup, being held in Bochum, Bielefeld, Augsburg and Dresden, Germany from July 13-Aug. 1.
Maryland rising sophomore midfielder Danielle Hubka was also invited to the training camp, but had to withdraw after aggravating a pre-existing injury. Hubka is an alternate for the team and could be recalled to the squad.
"We are all very happy for Sade," said Maryland head coach Brian Pensky. "She's a terrific player, and we know she can help this group compete for a world championship. We have always known that the sky's the limit for this kid. We feel badly for Danielle, as she was well on her way to being on the final team as well. Had she not suffered an injury to her foot, she would probably be headed to Germany later this week as well"
Ayinde played in all 20 games for the Terps in 2009 and finished the season fourth on the team in scoring with 11 points on three goals and five assists. She moved from center back to forward in the off-season and it didn't take her long to make an impact. Ayinde had a career-best five points on two goals and an assist in the Terps' 5-2 win over Loyola. She then assisted Ashley Grove's game-winner in the 1-0 win over No. 22 Santa Clara. Ayinde was on the finishing end of things with the team's fourth goal in the 4-0 win at Duke. She then recorded assists in three-straight games from Oct. 11-18, assisting Becky Kaplan's first career goal in 3-1 win over No. 6 Virginia Tech, then another Kaplan goal in the 1-1 tie with No. 7 Boston College and then tallying the assist on Grove's goal in Maryland's 3-2 overtime win over NC State.
Ellis named the U.S. squad after a two-week training camp in Los Angeles and San Diego, which was the last extended domestic event for the U.S. team before it departs for Germany in early July. The U.S. team will play its final international matches before the World Cup in Europe as the squad will travel to Germany on June 6 for two games, facing Japan on June 10 and Germany on June 13.
At the U-20 Women's World Cup, the USA will be playing in Group D along with Ghana, Switzerland and Korea Republic, and will be based in Dresden for its first two games before moving to Bielefeld to finish the first stage.
The U.S. will open against Ghana on July 14 before facing Switzerland on July 17, with both games taking place at the Rudolf-Harbig Stadium in Dresden, a newly built 27,000-seat venue that will also host games of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. The U.S. team will then travel to the recently renovated Bielefelder Alm Stadium, a 28,000-seat venue in Bielefeld, to conclude group play against the Koreans.
U.S. 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): Adrianna Franch (Oklahoma State; Salina, Kan.), Bryane Heaberline (Clearwater Chargers; St. Petersburg, Fla.), Bianca Henninger (Santa Clara; Los Gatos, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (5): Sade Ayinde (Maryland; North Bellmore, N.Y.), Crystal Dunn (North Carolina; Rockville Centre, N.Y.), Kendall Johnson (Portland; Portland, Ore.), Toni Pressley (Florida State; Melbourne, Fla.), Rachel Quon (Stanford; Lake Forrest, Ill.)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Amber Brooks (North Carolina; New Hope, Pa.), Zakiya Bywaters (UCLA; Las Vegas, Nev.), Kristie Mewis (Boston College; Hanson, Mass.), Samantha Mewis (Scorpions SC; Hanson, Mass.),Christine Nairn (Penn State; Bowie, Md.), Teresa Noyola (Stanford; Palo Alto, Calif.), Jenna Richmond (UCLA; Centreville, Va.), Casey Short (Florida State; Naperville, Ill.)
FORWARDS (5): Vicki DiMartino (Boston College; Massapequa, N.Y.), Maya Hayes (Penn State; West Orange, N.J.), Sydney Leroux (UCLA; Pheonix, Ariz.), Tiffany McCarty (Florida State; Laurel, Md.), Courtney Verloo (Stanford; Tualatin, Ore.)
