Feb. 6, 2012

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By Miquel Jacobs
Assistant Media Relations Director

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s soccer rising sophomore Sabrina D’Angelo (Welland, Ontario) is among 23 players selected for the Canadian Under-20 Women’s National Team extended camp in preparation for the upcoming 2012 CONCACAF U-20 Championship that will be held in March.

The team will hold its extended camp in San Jose, Costa Rica from February 13-27 and is being led by newly-appointed U-20 coach Andrew Olivieri. As part of the championship preparations, Canada will face Costa Rica’s “B” side as well as club champions Arsenal Coronado. Canada has chosen Costa Rica as the base for its camp to simulate similar conditions that can be expected in Panama.

“It will be exciting to see the future of our women’s program as we work towards the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship,” said coach Olivieri. “This is the type of highly competitive environment in which our players must perform if they want to make regular appearances with the national ‘A’ team.”

The eight-team CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship will qualify three teams to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. D’Angelo has previously competed for Canada at the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship where she was the starting goalkeeper for the side that won the gold medal with a 1-0 shutout win against Mexico in the final in addition to a shutout win over Team USA in the semifinal. This month’s camp marks her first call-up to the U-20 squad, the last level on the Canadian women’s pyramid before reaching the full national team.

“I found out a couple of weeks ago that I got invited to the camp,” D’Angelo said. “About a week later it was confirmed. I was real excited of course (to get called up). I was hopefully expecting a call because we have (U-20 World Cup) qualifying in March, so we needed a pre-camp. It’s just an honor to be called up and get the opportunity.”

D’Angelo was named to the NSCAA All-South Region first team, the Soccer America All-Freshman First Team and was picked as SEC Freshman of the Year and SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year after solidifying herself as the goalkeeper of the year in the SEC as a freshman. D’Angelo was the first player in SEC history to earn two Player of the Year honors in the same season, and she was the only freshman named to the First Team All-SEC list in addition to being the only freshman goalkeeper in the nation to be named to an NSCAA All-Region team. She finished the season fifth among the nation’s freshmen in goals against average (0.80) and 10th in save percentage (.824). D’Angelo was the SEC’s leader in goals against average and set the South Carolina freshman records for goals against average, save percentage, matches played, matches started and wins. She was named a semifinalist for the All White Kit Rookie of the Year, International Player of the Year and Golden Glove awards at the conclusion of the 2011 season.

CANADA UNDER-20 TEAM
GK- Rachelle Beanlands | USA / University of Maryland
GK- Dayle Colpitts | USA / Virginia Tech
GK- Sabrina D’Angelo | USA / University of South Carolina
D- Christine Exeter | USA / University of Louisville
D- Lauren Granberg | USA / Ohio State University
D- Nicole Hill | USA / University of Georgia
D- Vanessa Legault-Cordisco | USA / Marquette University
D- Rachel Melhado | USA / University of Louisville
D- Nicole Setterlund | USA / Washington State University
D- Shelina Zadorsky | USA / University of Michigan
M- Catherine Charron-Delage | CAN / Comètes de Laval
M- Olivia Colosimo | USA / Butler University
M- Kylie Davis | USA / University of Memphis
M- Constance de Chantal-Dumont | CAN / Champlain College Saint-Lambert
M- Jaclyn Sawicki | CAN / University of Victoria
M- Diamond Simpson | CAN / Hamilton FC
M- Erin Uchacz | USA / Oregon State
M- Danica Wu | USA / Ohio State
F- Nkem Ezurike | USA / University of Michigan
F- Christabel Oduro | USA / University of Memphis
F- Amélia Pietrangelo | USA / Rutgers University
F- Jenna Richardson | USA / Oregon State University