UW's Hope Solo Selected to Vie for U.S. Olympic Women's Soccer Team Berth
March 29, 2000
CHICAGO - University of Washington freshman goalkeeper Hope Solo has been selected to participate in the 30-player women's soccer Olympic residency camp, U.S. National Team coach April Heinrichs announced.
The 30 players will form the pool from which Heinrichs will select rosters for the approximately 20-22 games that the U.S. will play in preparation for the Olympic Games. The U.S. won the gold medal in 1996 during the inaugural Olympic women's soccer competition.
The 5-foot-9 Solo is the youngest of four goalkeepers who will vie for a spot on the 18-player roster that will represent the United States at the Olympics, Sept. 14-28 in Australia. A product of Richland (Wash.) High School, Solo is one of only two players on the residency roster without any previous international experience with the National Team.
Solo joins a group of 26 players who will travel to travel to North Carolina on April 3 to prepare for an exhibition game against Iceland on April 8 in Charlotte. Following that outing, the entire 30-player group will convene at the residency camp in Chula Vista, Calif. where the team will be train for five weeks beginning April 17.
The Olympic residency camp roster includes 15 players from the 1999 World Cup championship team, including all 11 starters from the championship match. Among those players are goalkeeper Briana Scurry, defender Brandi Chastain, midfielder Michelle Akers and forward Mia Hamm.
In order to participate in the residency camp, Solo will not be attending classes at Washington during the spring quarter that began March 27. If she makes the Olympic Team roster Solo will be unable to re-join the Huskies for their pre-season training camp in mid-August, but she will return to school for the fall quarter that begins September 25.
"We're obviously ecstatic for Hope and this great opportunity that she has earned. This opportunity is nothing but positive for Hope, the University and our program," said Washington women's soccer coach Lesle Gallimore. "We will miss her, but fortunately we have another excellent goalkeeper in Leslie Weeks. We're anxious to watch Hope's career as it develops with the National Team and, whenever she returns, we're hoping to benefit from her experience."
Solo had in impressive collegiate debut at Washington during the fall of 1999, culminating in her selection to the All-Pacific-10 Conference second team. She registered three shutouts and a 1.64 goals against average. Solo amassed 77 saves in only 12 games, the fourth-highest total in school history.
While at Washington, Solo trained under assistant coach Amy Allmann who was a goalkeeper on the U.S. National Team from 1987-91, playing on the team that won the inaugural women's World Cup in 1991. Along with her UW coaching duties, Allmann serves as a color commentator for women's soccer telecasts. Allmann will be the women's soccer analyst for NBC at the Olympics in Australia.
A two-time prep Parade All-American, Solo played internationally as the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. under-16 and U-18 teams. She did not surrender a goal in eight games during 1999 for the U-18 team, including a shutout of Mexico in the gold medal match of the Pan-American Games in Winnipeg, Canada.
For more information on the women's soccer National Team Olympic residency camp, please use the following link on the official U.S. Soccer website: http://www.us-soccer.com
