RICHMOND, VA – (Thursday, February 21, 2013) – The Richmond Kickers are pleased to announce that Katie Cousins has been selected to the roster for the upcoming U.S. Soccer U20 Women’s National Team trip to La Manga, Spain for the 12 Nations Tournament, March 1 – March 12. Sixteen-year old Cousins, who currently plays an age group up with the Kickers U17 Girls Elite, earned her first call up to the U20 Women’s National Team two days after returning from the U18 Women’s National Team domestic training camp, where she joined the U20 squad midway through the week.
“We are extremely proud of Katie’s rapid rise through the ranks of the national team youth program, and believe she will be a key contributor in Spain,” commented Rob Ukrop, Richmond Kickers U17 Girls Elite Head Coach. “As talented as Katie is on the soccer field, she shines brighter off the field with her humble approach to the game and her warm interaction with her teammates and younger players within our club.”
Cousins joins 18 players for the competition that will see the U.S. play Norway on March 7, Germany on March 9 and Sweden on March 11. The other countries traveling to La Manga are Iceland, the Netherlands, Scotland, England, Italy, France, Denmark and Wales.
Players born on or after January 1, 1994, are age-eligible for the 2014 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, to be held in Canada. This eighteen-player roster is made up of seven players born in 1994, 10 players born in 1995 and one, Cousins, born in 1996.
“Molly & I are very proud of Katie’s drive and work ethic,” said her father, Luther Cousins. “She is thrilled to be playing with the older squad and is really excited for the opportunity to represent the United States internationally. We are grateful to her coach, Rob Ukrop, and the Kickers organization for the exceptional experience they’ve provided to aid in her development as a player and a young lady.”
A high school sophomore at Jefferson Forest High School in Lynchburg, Virginia, Cousins was recently ranked the number two player in the country for the second consecutive year, by Topdrawersoccer.com.
U.S. U-20 WNT Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Jane Campbell (Concorde Fire South; Kennesaw, Ga.) Morgan Stearns (McLean Youth Soccer; San Antonio, Texas)
DEFENDERS (6): Morgan Andrews (FC Stars of Mass.; Milford, N.H.), Mandy Freeman (Orlando City; Royal Palm Beach, Fla.), Hanna Gardner (UNC, Chapel Hill, N.C.), Zoey Goralski (Team Chicago; Naperville, Ill.), Katie Naughton (Notre Dame; Arlington Heights, Ill.), Cari Roccaro (Notre Dame; East Islip, N.Y.)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Katie Cousins (Richmond Kickers; Forest, Va.), Isabel Farrell (Washington; Bellevue, Wash.), Rose Lavelle (Cincinnati United; Cincinnati United), Ashley Meier (Virginia Tech; Blacksburg, Va.), Andi Sullivan (Bethesda SC; Lorton, Va.)
FORWARDS (5): Makenzy Doniak (Virginia; Chino Hills, Calif.), Lindsey Horan (Paris Saint-Germain, Golden, Colo.), Summer Green (UNC; Milford, Mich.), Darian Jenkins (Sparta; Riverton, Utah), Amber Munerlyn (So Cal Blues; Corona, Calif.)
