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June 23, 2009

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville freshman goalkeeper Taylor Vancil is currently in Germany with the US Under-20 National Team for matches against the England and German Under-19s. Team USA is scheduled to be in Germany from June 19-27 for the two international matches.

England and Germany are both preparing for the UEFA Under-19 Women's Championships, which will take place July 13-25 in Belarus. The players on the U.S. team, mostly born in 1990 and 1991, are the same age as their European counterparts. The trip is expected to be especially beneficial to the U.S. team, not only giving them experience in the host country of the next U-20 world championship, but also giving the young players two quality games against teams that could be playing in the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup that the Germans will host in the late summer.

The U.S. U-20s entered the trip to Germany a 6-1-2 record in 2009, including a 1-1-1 mark in international matches, all played in La Manga, Spain during a tournament in March. The USA lost to Germany, 2-0, in that competition. U.S. head coach Jillian Ellis will bring 18 players to Germany, including 10 that were members of either the USA's 2008 U-17 or U-20 Women's World Cup Teams. The young Americans were scheduled to play England on Monday, June 22, at Stadion Flensburg in Flensburg and will take on the host Germans on Friday, June 26, at Wolfgang Meyer Stadion, in Hamburg.

A native of Elgin, Ill., who joined the Louisville program in January after signing with the Cardinals last fall, Vancil is one of two goalkeepers and 18 total players on the trip to Germany. Vancil has previous experience in international soccer having represented the U.S. Women's National Team in the Under 17 World Cup in New Zealand last year, where she helped lead the US to a second-place finish and received the "Golden Glove" Award given to the best goalkeeper of the tournament.

Vancil and the Cardinals will open the 2009 collegiate season on Saturday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. ET, with an exhibition game against the Irish National Team at Cardinal Park in Louisville, while the Cards' regular season will open on Aug. 21 at 7 p.m., against Miami (Ohio) at Cardinal Park.