UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State women’s soccer incoming freshman Olivia Smith was named to Canada’s roster for the 2022 U-20 Women’s World Cup which takes place Aug. 6-29 in Costa Rica.
“I am looking forward to the experience of representing my country in my first ever World Cup but also looking to win with my team,” Smith said. “I feel as though we are going to come out strong especially with the talent we have within.”
Hailing from Whitby, Ontario, Smith was a member of the Canada roster that qualified for the World Cup earlier this year by finishing in third place at the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship in the Dominican Republic.
Across seven matches in just over two weeks, Canada posted six wins and one loss with 32 goals scored and just one goal conceded in seven international matches against Concacaf competition.
“Playing in Concacaf this year was an amazing experience,” Smith said. “My team performed really well, although there were challenges for myself with overcoming an injury leading into the tournament.
“Qualifying for the World Cup was a massive achievement for us as a team, and we’re looking to bring it all home. I’m more than ready for this experience and looking forward to enjoying every moment of it.”
Smith is known for being the youngest player ever to debut for the Canada Women’s National Team. She was 15 years old when she made her debut on Nov. 7, 2019 at the Four Nations Tournament.
In the same tournament, got her second international cap in a match against New Zealand.
She was 12 years old when she made her debut in the Canadian youth program in 2017, and she represented Canada at the 2018 Concacaf Girls’ Under-15 Championship.
2019 saw her lauded as the Canadian Youth International Player of the Year.
Smith and her squad are set to play in Group C and will meet South Korea (Aug. 11), France (Aug. 14), and Nigeria (Aug. 17) in the group stage. The knockout stage is set to feature the quarterfinals from Aug. 20-21, the semifinals on Aug. 25, and the final and third-place match on Aug. 28.
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