University of Minnesota Athletics
Stiever Recaps U-23 WNT Experience
2/9/2016 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
From Jan. 18-25, University of Minnesota women's soccer junior, Josee Stiever, spent time training with the U.S. under-23 Women's National Team in Carson, Calif. Twenty-six players were led by Janet Rayfield and U.S. Women's National team assistant coach, Steve Swanson.
"Spending the week in Carson, Calif. training with the U-23 National Team was a perfect end to winter break for me," said Stiever. "I'm so grateful that I had this opportunity. I learned a lot of new skills and also what it takes to compete at that level. A typical day consisted of one morning session from 10-12 and then another evening session from 4-6. The trainings were intense and demanding, but I had fun competing with some of the top players in our country. One of the highlights of the camp was getting to watch the full USWNT play Ireland at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. We were lucky to be able to attend this game and scout Ireland before we concluded our camp with a match against the same Ireland team. Overall, this was an experience that I will never forget!"
In the 2015 season, Stiever started in all 22 games at midfield and combined for a total of 12 points with four goals and four assists with 22 shots on goal. The junior was also named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, named as No. 16 on TopDrawerSoccer.com Women's Big Ten Conference Top 20, earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, earned a spot on the Big Ten Preseason to Watch List for the second year in a row and tabbed a spot on the Capital One Academic All-District Team (CoSIDA). At this year's banquet, Stiever was named the Offensive MVP by the team.
Stiever was joined by fellow Big Ten standouts, Erica Skroski of Rutgers and Mallory Weber of Penn State.
U-23 Women's National Team Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Stanford; Kennesaw, Ga.), Katelyn Rowland (FC Kansas City; Vacaville, Calif.), Abby Smith (Texas; Dallas, Texas)
DEFENDERS (7): Abby Dahlkemper (Western New York Flash; Menlo Park, Calif.), Caprice Dydasco (Washington Spirit; Honolulu), Kristen McNabb (Virginia; Ashburn, Va.), Kayla Mills (USC; West Covina, Calif.), Gabrielle Seiler (Florida; Peachtree City, Ga.), Erica Skroski (Rutgers; Galloway, N.J.), Christen Westphal (Florida; Brecksville, Ohio)
MIDFIELDERS (10): Marti Corby (Grand Valley State; Ada, Mich.), Mandy Freeman (USC; Royal Palm Beach, Fla.), Christina Gibbons (Duke; Raleigh, N.C.), Shea Groom (FC Kansas City; Liberty, Mo.), Alexis Shaffer (Virginia; Cary, N.C.), Havanna Solaun (Seattle Reign; Gainsville, Fla.), Josee Stiever (Minnesota; Cedarburg, Wisc.), Andi Sullivan (Stanford; Lorton, Va.), Mallory Weber (Penn State; East Lansing, Mich.), Samantha Witteman (California; Redondo Beach, Calif.)
FORWARDS (6): Mackenzy Doniak (Virginia; Chino Hills, Calif.), Tyler Lussi (Princeton; Lutherville, Md.), McKenzie Meehan (Boston College; Glocester, R.I.), Toni Payne (Duke; Birmingham, Ala.), Taylor Smith (UCLA; Fort Worth, Texas), Murielle Tiernan (Virginia Tech; Ashburn Va.)
