Fairview student Katie Scott invited to USA Soccer training camp for under-15 team
Katie Scott learned to play soccer with male teammates.
Although the Fairview Township resident eventually competed with and against females, she still chose to do so against girls a year above her own age.
That kind of competitive background is one reason Scott isn't overwhelmed about being the only freshman who was invited to the training camp for USA Soccer's inaugural under-15 women’s youth national team.
The 14-year-old Fairview student was one of 34 players chosen for the camp, which starts Sunday and runs through Jan. 23 at the Chula Vista (California) Elite Athlete Training Center.
"I'm super excited to go," Scott said. "I was a little nervous at first, but some of my (International Soccer Club) teammates who have done these (camps) before have given me advice. I can't wait to represent Erie, Pennsylvania, and the USA."
Scott didn't play for Fairview's girls soccer program this past season. Instead, she was a forward for the Internationals Soccer Club, based in Medina, Ohio. The club is considered among the nation's most prestigious at the youth soccer level.
She scored 26 goals and had 18 assists while helping her team to the National quarterfinals in Richmond, Virginia. She was selected as the Ohio Valley Conference U-15 Player of the Year – making her a candidate for ECNL National Player of the Year – and was an all-OVC first-team selection.
Scott is one of eight forwards listed on the USA Soccer training camp's roster. There are 14 midfielders, eight defenders and four goalkeepers.
When Scott received word she was chosen, it fulfilled a goal she set two years ago.
"I know these girls are going to be super competitive," Scott said, "but I feel like I'm well prepared playing up an age division most of my life."
Last November, USA Soccer hired Katie Schoepfer, 33, to coach of its under-15 women's team. The New London, Connecticut, native played for Penn State University in the late 2000s.
From the training camp roster, Schoepfer is expected to pick those who represent the United States in this summer's CONCACAF Girls' Under-15 Championship.
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Fairview's Scott going to USA Soccer training camp
