July 23, 2007

CHESTNUT HILL, MA - The U.S. Under-20 Women's National Team head coach Jillian Ellis named 18 players, including Boston College freshman Gina DiMartino, to the roster for the 2007 Pan-American Games, which are being played in Brazil. The tournament started on July 12 and will end on July 26.

DiMartino, a Massapequa, NY native, led the Eagles in scoring with 13 goals and five assists for 31 points. She was the ACC Rookie of the Year and a third-team NSCAA All-Region selection. DiMartino has been training with the team on a regular basis with trips to Mexico, England and Maryland.

The 10-team Pan-American women's soccer competition features two groups of five teams each with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinal games after round-robin play. The Pan-American games, which are an "open" tournament for the women, meaning no age limit, stands to be one of the most competitive international tournaments the U.S. U-20s will play outside of a FIFA world championship, as several of the countries will be sending their full Women's National Teams.

The USA opened with a 7-1 win over Paraguay on July 12 at João Havelange Stadium. The team then defeated Panama 3-1 on July 14 at the Miécimo da Silva Sport Complex. The Americans then defeated Argentina, 3-0 on July 18 at João Havelange Stadium. USA's final group play match was against the full Women's National team from Mexico on July 20 in the famed Maracanã Stadium. The younger USA team came up short in a 3-2 loss.

The tournament's semifinal matches will be held on July 23 with the championship game on July 26, both at Maracanã.