Sanchez One of Three Bruins Called up to USWNT Camp
November 27, 2019 | Women's Soccer
UCLA junior Ashley Sanchez has earned a call-up to a U.S. Women's National Team Identification Camp that will take place Dec. 9-14 in Bradenton, Fla. Also earning the call-up are UCLA alumnae Hailie Mace (2015-18) and Sarah Killion (2011-14).
The training camp is being staged by new head coach Vlatko Andonovski to evaluate younger players from the college game and those who have performed well in the NWSL or abroad, with the goal of deepening the player pool and positioning players for possible future call-ups to events in 2020. There are 10 collegiate players in the camp, nine of whom are still playing in the NCAA Tournament.
This is Sanchez's second call-up but first since April of 2016. She participated in her first USWNT training camp at age 17 and has since played in the 2016 FIFA U-17 World Cup and the 2016 and 2018 U-20 World Cups. The 2016 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year was the first American female player to play in both the U-17 and U-20 World Cups in the same cycle. She scored three goals and one assist as team captain for the U-17s, and she scored one goal with two assists for the U-20s. Sanchez most recently played with the U-23s last spring.
Sanchez has excelled at UCLA, setting multiple school records, including the career assists (41), single-season assists (15 in 2018) and single-game assists (four in 2018) records. This season, she has scored seven goals with 14 assists and earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors for the third time in her career. Last season, she was a first-team All-American and MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist.
Mace, who has been playing with Rosengård FC in Sweden's top division, has three career caps. She earned her first cap on Apr. 8, 2018 and earned two more at World Cup qualifying during her senior season in Fall 2018. This season with Rosengård FC, she had four goals and three assists in 16 matches while helping her club win the Swedish title and qualify for the 2020-21 UEFA Women's Champions League. Mace was a first-team All-American and MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist in 2017 and was just the third player in history to win the Pac-12 Offensive and defensive player of the week awards in her career.
Killion has been in other national team camps and was on the roster for the 2014 Algarve Cup but remains uncapped. She played on the U.S.'s 2012 FIFA U-20 World Cup championship team and was an all-tournament selection at the 2013 College Cup after helping the Bruins win their first-ever NCAA Championship. Killion earned All-America honors in 2014 and was the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
USWNT Roster - December Training Camp (Club/School; WNT Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (2): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 3/0), Casey Murphy (Reign FC; 0/0)
DEFENDERS (9): Maycee Bell (UNC; 0/0), Malia Berkely (Florida State; 0/0), Imani Dorsey (Sky Blue FC; 0/0), Emily Fox (UNC; 3/0), Naomi Girma (Stanford; 0/0), Sarah Gorden (Chicago Red Stars; 0/0), Hailie Mace (Rosengård FC, SWE; 3/0), Kiara Pickett (Stanford; 0/0), Margaret Purce (Portland Thorns FC; 1/0)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Danielle Colaprico (Chicago Red Stars; 2/0), Vanessa DiBernardo (Chicago Red Stars; 0/0), Jordan DiBiasi (Washington Spirit; 0/0), Sarah Killion (Sky Blue FC; 0/0), Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash; 15/1), Brianna Pinto (UNC; 0/0), Ashley Sanchez (UCLA; 0/0)
FORWARDS (6): Bethany Balcer (Reign FC; 0/0), Madison Haley (Stanford; 0/0), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 2/0), Paige Monaghan (Sky Blue FC; 0;0), Sophia Smith (Stanford; 0/0), Ally Watt (Texas A&M; 0/0)
