July 24, 2007
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Former Santa Clara University soccer stars Marian Dalmy '07, Leslie Osborne '05 and Aly Wagner '03 will return to the Bay Area this weekend to play for the United States Women's National Team. The trio will represent the U.S. against Japan on Saturday, July 28 at 7 p.m. PT at Spartan Stadium in San Jose. All three players have been named to the U.S. World Cup roster for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup that takes place from Sept. 10-30 in China.
"There is just something special for me being here around Santa Clara and San Jose, a feeling that I don't get anywhere else," said Osborne of her return to the Bay Area this week. "I have been looking forward to spending time up here around Santa Clara University. I hope that Bronco fans come out and support us Saturday. I know we are looking forward to hearing and seeing familiar faces."
The national team will have an open practice at Maloney Field at Stanford on Wednesday, July 25 at 11:30 a.m. in preparation for the game. Fans can attend the session and get autographs at the conclusion of practice. To purchase tickets to the game, click here.
The 2007 Women's World Cup will mark the second straight World Cup with at least three Broncos on the roster. Osborne and Wagner were named to the original 18-player roster this year, while Dalmy made the squad as one of the final three players selected. In 2003, Kylie Bivens, Brandi Chastain, Danielle Slaton and Wagner were all a part of the U.S. squad.
"I remember standing outside of Buck Shaw Stadium four years ago watching the women's World Cup team train right before my eyes," said Osborne. "My dream has come true but it's not over yet. I have to be more focused than ever because the most exciting part, the World Cup, is right around the corner."
For Wagner, the selection marks the second time that she will compete on women's soccer's grandest stage, having previously seen action in four matches at the 2003 Women's World Cup held in the United States. Wagner was also a member of the 2004 Olympic squad that claimed the gold medal in Athens. She put together a fine collegiate career at Santa Clara, claiming the Honda Award as the nation's top women's soccer player after leading the Broncos to their only national title in 2001, and capturing the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy in 2002 after leading Santa Clara back to the national title game and finishing as national runner-up. She was also a three-time All-American as well as the West Coast Player of the Year and College Cup MVP in 2001.
Osborne will make her Women's World Cup debut this September, where she will help hold down the U.S. midfield. The Brookfield, Wis. native has been a mainstay on the national team since her senior-team debut in 2003. As an undergrad at Santa Clara, Osborne was a two-time All-American and recipient of the Honda Award in 2004. She is also a two-time WCC Player of the Year, and in 2004 was named the WCC Defender of the year as well.
Dalmy is the least-capped field player named to the Women's World Cup Team having earned just two caps, against Mexico and Canada earlier this year. The tall, skillful and agile outside back joined Residency Training Camp just last May, which was her first experience with the full team after spending some time with the U.S. Under-21s. Her strong play the last three months earned Dalmy a spot on the roster. At Santa Clara, Dalmy finished her outstanding career in 2006 by being named the WCC Player of the Year, All-WCC First Team and All-Far West Region First Team. She scored six goals and had six assists to lead all WCC defenders in scoring, while helping the Broncos earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. For her career, she was named All-WCC First Team three times and was a Soccer Buzz All-American as a junior. The Lakewood, Colo. native scored 16 goals and had 11 assists in 85 career games on the Mission Campus.
With Osborne and Dalmy's selections, Santa Clara now has seven formers players who will have represented the United States in World Cup play and the nine that will have appeared in a World Cup. Brandi Chastain and Wagner are the only Broncos to appear in multiple World Cups, as Chastain was a member of the 1991 and '99 championship squads and the 2003 squad that took third. Wagner played in 2003, along with her selection this year. Kylie Bivens (2003), Jennifer Lalor (1995), and Danielle Slaton (2003) all represented the United States in previous competitions, while Mikka Hansen represented Denmark and Lisa Nañez played for Mexico in the 1999 World Cup.
For more coverage of the U.S. Women's National Team and the World Cup, go to ussoccer.com.