Michigan keeper Beall named to U.S. U-20 World Cup Roster
Sophomore goalkeeper Hillary Beall of the University of Michigan women’s soccer team has been named to the U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team by its head coach, Jitka Klimkova. Beall will be one of 21 players to represent the United States at the 2018 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup to be held Aug. 5-24 in the Brittany region of northwestern France.
Team USA’s roster is made up of 16 current collegiate players and five youth club players who will enter college this fall. All five competed in the recently completed first season of the U.S. Soccer Girls’ Development Academy. Players born on or after Jan. 1, 1998, are eligible for the World Cup. The U.S. roster is made up of seven players born in 1998, 10 born in 1999 and four born in 2000. Beall is one of three goalkeepers on the team.
READ WELOVEANNARBOR TERRY JACOBY’S FEATURE STORY ON HILLARY AT https://weloveannarbor.com/2018/03/14/profile-u-m-goalie-beall-warming-up-to-michigan-with-a-bright-future-here-and-beyond/
During her freshman season at Michigan, Beall appeared in seven matches (six starts), including starts against three ranked opponents — No. 11 South Carolina, No. 17 Wake Forest and No. 14 Penn State. She recorded 31 saves, 1.2 shutouts and a goals-against average of 0.96. Beall missed the final three games of the season due to injury, but is back to full strength.
Beall has been in the Youth and Women’s National Team pools since she was 14. She has participated in several U-20 and U-19 camps over the past year and was last invited to camp with the U-20 WNT in November, but was unable to attend due to injury. The 5-foot-11 keeper represented the U.S. at the 2016 U-17 World Cup and played with the U-19 WNT in Prague, Czech Republic, in June 2017.
The U.S. U-20 WNT has gone 11-1-3 this year in international matches this year with 12 different players having scored.
The 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup features 16 nations divided into four groups of four teams. The top two finishers in each group advance to the knockout round quarterfinals. All 32 matches of the tournament will take place in four venues across France’s Brittany region.
The U.S. opens the tournament on Monday, Aug. 6 against Japan, faces Paraguay on Thursday, Aug. 9 and closes out the group stage against Spain on Monday, Aug. 13. All of the USA’s matches will be broadcast on FS2.
Michigan’s season kicks off on Aug. 16 with a home game against Boston University (7:30 p.m.). That game follows a pair of preseason exhibitions at Notre Dame (Aug. 8) and home against Air Force (Aug. 11, 1 p.m.). The Wolverines are under the direction of first-year head coach Jennifer Klein, who is also a member of the U.S. U-19 women’s national team.
