Sports
Brick Memorial's Scarpelli Called Up To U16 National Soccer Team
The 15-year-old is spending the next two weeks in the Netherlands with the team, according to U.S. Soccer.
BRICK, NJ — Some kids celebrate their birthday with a trip to the boardwalk or Great Adventure. Leah Scarpelli is celebrating hers in the Netherlands.
The Brick Memorial sophomore has been called up to play with the U.S. Under 16 girls national team, which is in the Netherlands for training camp and three matches through Sept. 27, according to U.S. Soccer.
Scarpelli, who turned 15 on Sunday, is one of four players called up to the U-16 team from the roster of the U.S. U-15 team, which won the CONCACAF Cup in Florida in August. Joining Scarpelli on the U-16 roster are Mia Fishel, who was the Golden Ball winner at the CONCACAF Cup; Samantha Meza; and Croix Bethune.
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Scarpelli, who has been playing for the Mustangs this year in what will be her only high school season due to changing rules at the U.S. Soccer national level, has four goals and two assists so far this season. She departed Friday, missing the Mustangs' game against Howell, and potentially will miss a total of six games, including clashes with Toms River South and Toms River North. The Mustangs face Jackson Memorial on Sept. 28, their second game against the Jaguars, who won the first meeting 3-0.
In the Netherlands, the U-16 team will play the Netherlands' U-17 team on Tuesday, and is scheduled to play matches against two academy teams — CTO Amsterdam on Sept. 23 and CTO Eindhoven on Sept. 26 — before camp closes.
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It's the second international trip for most of the U-16 team, U.S. Soccer said. The team participated in the 1st Women’s “Delle Nazioni” Tournament in Gradisca, Italy last spring. The group is in the second year of a two-year cycle before becoming the U-18s and then the U-20s with the goal of playing in the 2020 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup. The players born in 2001 — Scarpelli and her three U-15 teammates — are age-eligible for the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Leah Scarpelli in Chula Vista, Calif., where she trained with the U.S. U-15 National Team earlier this year. Photo courtesy of Liz Scarpelli
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