CHICAGO – California Golden Bears' senior defender Samantha Witteman was selected to the Under-23 United States Women's National Team, U-23 head coach and USWNT assistant coach Steve Swanson, U.S. Soccer announced earlier this week. Swanson and Janet Rayfield, who are running the first camp of 2016, named a 26-player roster for the first U-23 camp of the calendar year.
"It is a great honor for Sam to be invited in with the U-23 U.S. national team, but richly deserved,” head coach Neil McGuire said of the camp invite. “She had a marvelous senior season as a result of years of dedication to her development. We are all very happy for her."
The camp will be held at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Carson, California, from Jan. 18-25. It concludes with a match against the full women's national team from the Republic of Ireland on Monday, Jan. 25 at 11 a.m. PT at the National Training Center.
Witteman was a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Third Team All-American and a First Team All-Pac-12 selection, having proven herself to be one of the most versatile players in the conference this season. The senior earned at least one start in seven different positions in Cal's 21 games this season, but made herself known as one of the most dangerous outside backs in the conference in a season that saw her score four goals, with all four of them being game-winners, in addition to leading one of the top defenses in the Pac-12. Overall, Witteman had a hand in five of Cal's 13 game-winning goals, finishing second in the league in scoring four winners to go alongside a game-winning assist.
Five of the 26 players comprising the roster played their rookie campaigns in the National Women's Soccer League last season, and several more, including Witteman, are expected to be high selections in Friday's NWSL Draft, which will be streamed live on Friday morning, beginning at 7 a.m. PT on NWSL's website, NWSLsoccer.com.
Roster by Position:
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.)
