COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - October 4, 2016 - Following two suspenseful months of evaluations, U.S. U-21 Women's National Team Head Coach Janneke Schopman has established the full squad that will travel to Santiago, Chile in November for the women's Hockey Junior World Cup 2016 (JWC). During this time frame, eight candidates contended for the four remaining spots on the 18-athlete JWC roster. A final decision was made as a result of Schopman's travels up and down the east coast to watch those candidates in high school and collegiate games to determine who would be the best fit to represent the country on the international stage.

The last time the U-21 USWNT met was at a training camp from September 5-6 at Spooky Nook Sports in Lancaster, Pa. After qualifying for the JWC, the squad had 9 months of sporadic team training and accountable individual training to prepare themselves before they step foot on the field in Santiago.

“I think we learned a lot from the Junior Pan American Games and had a good summer of training,” said Schopman. “Every time we meet as a team we’re quick to get back into a rhythm. We don’t have much time together on the pitch now until the start of the tournament, but the girls are doing everything they can to be in the best shape possible. We’ve grown a lot as a group and I have faith we’ll be ready for the first game on Thursday, November 24.”

The U-21 USWNT will depart Norfolk, Va. in the evening on Sunday, November 20 following the NCAA Division I National Championship. The team will practice and have a test scrimmage against England on Tuesday, November 22 before their first game on Thursday, November 24. In the tournament of 16, Team USA is in Pool A along with Korea, The Netherlands and Zimbabwe.

“It’s obviously going to be a big challenge for us being in a pool with The Netherlands who are the most recent Junior World Cup champions and being in a pool with Korea which is a bit of an unknown,” commented Schopman. “The only way I look at it is I want our team to play to our potential with respect to the teams we play against and at the same time really showcase ourselves. I’m convinced we can do that.” 

As the U-21 USWNT gets closer to showing their potential on the world stage, consider support them through their Rally U.S. to the Cup campaign or bid on one of the many items up for auction on their Winning Cause Auction website. Auction deadline is Saturday, October 29, 2016. All funds raised will be used to help supply coverage of travel, meals, medical treatment and more for the U-21 USWNT. Click here to donate. #rallyUStothecup #SQUAD

2016 Women's Junior World Cup Roster

Kelsey Bing Houston, Texas Goalkeeper Stanford University	Maddie Bacskai Berwyn, Pa. Defense Princeton University	Kristy Bernatchez Belgrade, Maine Defense University of North Carolina
Cat Caro Bridgewater, N.J. Midfield/Forward  Princeton University	Linnea Gonzales Bel Air, Md. Forward University of Maryland	Ashley Hoffman Mohnton, Pa. Midfield University of North Carolina
Laura Hurff Newark, Del. Midfield Syracuse University	Amanda Magadan Randolph, N.J. Midfield Lafayette College	Erin Matson Chadds Ford, Pa. Midfield Unionville High School
Gab Major Royersford, Pa. Forward University of North Carolina	Lauren Moyer York, Pa. Forward University of North Carolina	Margaux Paolino Villanova, Pa. Forward Duke University
Jenny Rizzo Hershey, Pa. Goalkeeper Penn State University	Julianna Tornetta Plymouth Meeting, Pa. Midfield Agnes Irwin School	Sophia Tornetta Plymouth Meeting, Pa. Forward Princeton University
Tara Vittese Cherry Hill, N.J. Midfield University of Virginia	Nicole Woods Beverly, Mass. Forward University of Louisville	Julia Young Yorktown, Va. Defense University of North Carolina