By David Thompson
The road to a national championship for the women's soccer team is about to get a little bit harder. The Pilots are preparing to lose three key players to international competition this month. Sophomores Elli Reed, Keelin Winters and junior Michelle Enyeart are all taking the opportunity to play for the United States in the U-20 World Cup held in Chile Nov. 19 through Dec. 7.
"I've dreamed about being on a national team since I was little," Winters said, who was named one of the captains of the national team.
Winters, who is the reigning WCC Freshman of the Year, has been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time. "It's an awesome feeling putting on that US jersey, something I really can't put into words," Winters said.
Both Reed and Enyeart feel the same way about the chance to represent the U.S. "The chance to represent the United States in an international competition is incredible," Enyeart said. "I know how fortunate I am to be in such a position and how amazing of an opportunity it is every single time I put on our jerseys and hear the national anthem play."
"This is such an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity," Reed said. "Ever since I was little I have dreamed of representing my country in a world cup. It almost doesn't seem real to me."
While the chance to represent America in the U-20 World Cup comes once in a lifetime, the opportunity is bittersweet for the three.
"It's unfortunate that the world cup had to occur during the same time as playoffs," Reed said. "We have trained and played with our team all season and to have to leave at the most vital time is very hard."
"The timing of the U-20 World Cup is just unlucky," Winters added.
The production of the three will be missed by the Pilots as they compete for their third national championship. Enyeart has accumulated the ninth most points in UP's illustrious history during her three seasons on the Bluff.
Reed and Winters have also established themselves as two of the best at their positions in the past two seasons.
Enyeart, Reed and Winters follow in the footsteps of many Pilot greats who have played in the U-20 World Cup such as Christine Sinclair, Angie Woznuk, and current Pilots Megan Rapinoe and Sophie Schmidt.
The U-20 national team is made up of women under the age of 20 all across the country. The University of Portland is the most represented school with three members. Other schools such as North Carolina (two representatives), Notre Dame (one) and Washington State (one) are represented by players.
All three Pilots have been going to camps for the national team for some time in preparation for the tournament.
"At the beginning of 2007 we began the very first of our camps as an under-20 national team and held numerous camps throughout last year and I have continued to get called in for the team," Enyeart said. "If you perform well and if they like the way you play, then you continue to get called back."
Pilot's coach Garrett Smith has prepared for their departure by not subbing Enyeart, Reed, or Winters into the game until the second half. This strategy has allowed the team to adjust to playing without the three and will hopefully prevent any letdown in the Pilot's game plan. The preparation has been eased by the great depth at most positions.
It is not an uncommon occurrence for athletes to miss part of a season due to international competition.
Earlier this year Schmidt participated in the Olympic Games in Beijing representing Canada. Pilot great and gold-medalist Stephanie Cox missed the early part of last season due to the women's world cup.
The tournament is held over a three week period in four different cities all across Chili. The women will play other countries such as China, Argentina and France. The U.S. hopes to win the tournament after finishing fourth and third respectively in the last two tournaments.
While Winters will miss playing with UP over the next month, she has high hopes for the both the Pilots and the U-20 national team. "Hopefully, on December 7th Portland will be winning their thirdnational championship and the U-20 team will be winning a world championship," Winters said.
