Petersen Named To U.S. U-20 WNT World Cup Roster
Oct. 13, 2016
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Courtney Petersen (Canton, Mich.) has been named by head coach Michelle French to the U.S. U-20 WNT roster that will compete at the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup being held in Papua New Guinea, it was announced by USA Soccer on Thursday.
The 2016 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup runs Nov. 13 – Dec. 3. The United States opens the tournament on Monday, Nov. 14 against France, faces New Zealand on Thursday, Nov. 17 and finishes the group against Ghana on Monday, Nov. 21. The USA will play its first two group games at Sir Hubert Murray Stadium and its third group game at National Football Stadium. Both stadiums are located in Port Moresby, the capital city of Papua New Guinea. All the matches will be broadcast on the FOX family of networks.
“Throughout this cycle, we have gone through an extensive process evaluating a number of players in various environments,” French said. “The final World Cup roster is comprised of players that provide great depth and versatility in every position. The way in which players competed to be a part of the roster, their commitment to be a part of this cycle, and their overall dedication to each other, has been tremendous. This group of players is highly motivated which has proven to be the impetus for their individual and collective development, particularly over the last six months.”
Petersen is one of 21 players named to the squad that includes three goalkeepers, seven defenders, seven midfielders and four forwards. She is one of four players from the Atlantic Coast Conference named to the squad, but the only midfielder from an ACC team.
As a freshman at Virginia in 2015, Petersen competed in 22 games with two starts for the Cavaliers. She scored three goals and chipped in three assists on the season, including the game-winning goal against Cal Poly. She also tallied an assist on the only other goal against Cal Poly. She also hit the game-tying goal in the closing minutes of regulation at No. 19 Pepperdine in her freshman campaign.
Petersen was named an ACC All-Freshman selection last year. She is not competing with the Cavaliers this season as she has been training with the U-20 team in preparation for the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.