CHULA VISTA, California - Coach Jillian Ellis, who’s heading the U18/U20 US Women’s National camp, has described her group of 48 players as “sponges.”

So I guess you could say the team soaked it all up Thursday in a 9-1 drubbing over the unfortunate squad scrimmaging against them at the Arco Olympic Training Center.

The US group got its first taste of outside competition and devoured it quickly. A team made up of various players from San Diego State, UC San Diego and other club teams played against a third of the US team while an intrasquad scrimmage accounted for the rest of the action.

Forward Kelly Cobb, of Chugiak, Alaska, led the way with three goals in the rout over the San Diego team.   

At 5-foot-10, Cobb used her height to tip in shots and stayed active the entire match.

“I thought we played excellent,” she said. “It’s a totally different game, playing with the US team and then against a different opponent. I had a bad game the first scrimmage out here, but I came back and played well. This camp has a great affect on you. It’s a great learning experience.”

Allie Vernon, of Santa Clara, and Faribault, Minnesota’s, Chelsea Cline, got in on the scoring as well during a game that saw the US team force its opponent to chase it all over the field.

Save for one defensive miscue that allowed a goal, it was near flawless effort.

“Some players are starting to emerge and kind of separate themselves by showing their qualities,” Ellis said. “We wanted to put them in an environment today where they were playing 90 minutes, because that rarely happens in camps. I think having meetings with the players, and giving them daily feedback has really helped the daily improvement. Take (Dallas Texans defender) Alexis Harris. We talked about a few things recently and she really came out today and was very good.”

In the intrasquad scrimmage, Harris spent the afternoon fending off her teammates during a spirited game that only produced one goal.

Kristen Mewis (SC Scorpions) made a sweet cross-over move and pounded a left-footed strike midway through the second half for the only score.

She was one of the standouts, along with Florida State midfielder Casey Short, who has been consistently good and has a knack for playing in tight spaces.

Cloee Colohan has arguably been the best defender through the camp so far. The centerback from Black Diamond Park City in Utah, brings a physical nature and technical ability that hasn’t let her down.

Santa Clara’s Bianca Henninger has lead the way for the goalkeepers with her veteran saavy.
    
Midfielder Erika Tymrak (IMG Soccer Academy) heading to Florida next fall, continued her solid camp as well. Tymrak was a part of the FIFA U17 World Cup in November, but suffered an early injury that kept her from being 100 percent. She appears to be bouncing back well.

Zakiya Bywaters (Las Vegas) was walking gingerly following the scrimmage. Despite a performance below her usual standards, she’s been one of the more consistent players through four days.

There were a couple of minor struggles through the day including Tani Costa (Honolulu), who had a good opening day but lacked quickness with the ball Thursday as she works her way back from a foot injury.

North Carolina’s Courtney Jones had a tough time developing the rhythm she had previously in the camp, and had some mixups with her teammates.

“To see the players 11-on-11 was very important,” Ellis said. “We’ve done a lot of work on technique, and I think a lot of the players will leave here understanding that’s an area they need to work on. There’s some good things coming out of this group. This is our first look and we did a good job getting players in that will have a good run at making the team.”

U.S. Under-20 & Under-18 WNT Super Camp Roster
Chula Vista, Calif.
Jan. 25 – Feb. 1, 2009
GOALKEEPERS (7): Bianca Henniger (Los Gatos, Calif.), Alexa Gaul (Naperville, Ill.), Jillian Mastroianni (Durham, Conn.), Emily Oliver (Flossmoor, Ill.), Anna Sieloff (Troy, Mich.), Taylor Vancil (South Elgin, Ill.), Kelsey Wys (Coral Springs, Fla.)
DEFENDERS (12): Tori Allen (Stafford, Va.), Amber Brooks (New Hope, Pa.), Danielle Brunache (Belmont, Calif.), Cloee Colohan (West Point, Utah), Crystal Dunn (Rockville Centre, N.Y.), Alexis Harris (Plano, Texas), Meagan Morris (Montclair, N.J.), Megan Oyster (Naperville, Ill.), Mollie Pathman (Durham, N.C.), Bailey Powell (Fayetteville, Ga.), Rachel Quon (Lake Forest, Ill.), Whitney Sharpe (West Des Moines, Iowa)
MIDFIELDERS (16): Zakiya Bywaters (Las Vegas, Nev.), Chelsea Cline (Fairbault, Minn.), Elizabeth Eddy (Costa Mesa, Calif.), Danielle Hubka (Strongsville, Ohio), Olivia Klei (Pleasanton, Calif.), Mandy Laddish (Lee’s Summit, Mo.), Camille Levin (Newport Coast, Calif.), Kristen Mewis (Hanson, Mass.), Samantha Mewis (Hanson, Mass.), Jazmin Ponce (Lawndale, Calif.), Jenna Richmond (Centerville, Va.), Casey Short (Naperville, Ill.), Claire Stachel (Grand Rapids, Mich.), Wendy Travis (Cary, N.C.), Erika Tymrak (Bradenton, Fla.), Allie Vernon, (Homer Glen, Ill.)
FORWARDS (13): Lauren Alwine (Elizabethtown, Pa.), Hayley Brock (Acton, Mass.), Kelly Cobb (Chugiak, Alaska), Tani Costa (Honolulu, Hawaii), Victoria DiMartino (Massapequa, N.Y.), Maya Hayes (West Orange, N.J.), Courtney Jones (Danville, Calif.), Tiffany McCarty (Laurel, Md.), Kealia Ohai (Draper, Utah), Alev Kelter-Perusse (Eagle River, Alaska), Toni Pressley (Melbourne, Fla.), Chioma Ubogagu (Coppel, Texas), Courtney Verloo (Tualatin, Ore.)