Sophia Mundy Invited To U.S. National Team Camp
3/6/2006 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
March 6, 2006
CARSON, Calif. - University of Houston soccer player Sophia Mundy (Katy, Texas/St. Pius X HS/Portland State) was invited to participate in a training camp for the U.S. Under-21 National Team later this month.
Mundy, a senior-to-be, will be part of the player pool competing for 18 spots on the 2006 Nordic Cup roster. The Nordic Cup, widely considered the top tournament in the world for women of that age group, is held annually in Northern Europe. The camp runs from March 19-26 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
"I really believe over the past eight months Sophia has stepped her game up both mentally and physically," head coach Bill Solberg said. "She is constantly trying to get better in individual sessions, practices and being a coach on the field. Her dedication and hard work has paid off with such an honor to be invited to the National Team Training Camp."
Mundy is believed to be one of the first active UH and Conference USA student-athletes to be invited to a national team camp. UAB's Tara Kidwell was a member of the 2005 U-21 player pool, but she had already exhausted her eligibility.
Mundy set single-season records for goals (14), points (33) and shots (95) in her first season with the Cougars, earning first team All-C-USA and third-team NSCAA/adidas All-Central Region honors.
"This is absolutely tremendous for Sophia and for the UH soccer team," Solberg said "This invitation, in my opinion, is one of the highest accolades a soccer player could receive. I think it speaks volumes about Sophia as a soccer player and person, as well as the fact she chose to attend UH, to play for this staff and to continue to better herself on and off the field."
UH ended its 2005 season at 8-7-3, finishing the campaign over .500 for the first time since 1999 when the squad compiled an 11-8-2 record. UH also set or tied 10 team records on the season, including team marks for points in a season (116), goals (43), points per game (6.44), goals per game (2.39), assists per game (1.67), shots (357), shots per game (19.83) and goals against average (1.10). The Cougars tied the team standards for shutouts (5) and ties (3). Houston also appeared in the Conference USA Tournament for the first time in three years.
Assistant coach Susan Bush, a former national team player herself, added that Mundy's invitation proves that the Houston program is taking a step towards the upper echelon of collegiate soccer nationally.
"Sophia's invitation to the U-21 National Team is an indication not only of her talent on the soccer field, but her work ethic, discipline, and drive to improve every time she comes out to practice," Bush said. "As a teammate, Sophia makes players around her better and continuously demands maximum effort from everyone. Simply, she is a leader. I am confident that she will represent the University of Houston with class and determination at National Team Camp."
