Bulls enjoying Canadian Under-20 camp

Four members of the South Florida women’s soccer team are currently in camp with the Canadian Under-20 soccer team as the side prepares at USF for the CONCACAF qualifying competition for the FIFA 2010 Under-20 World Cup to be held in Germany.

Midfielder Gina Pacheco said she thought the camp had been going well after the Canadians scrimmaged against local club RSL Florida at the USF practice field on Friday afternoon.

“I think the camp’s going well,” Pacheco said. “Every time we’ve gotten together, we’ve gotten a little bit better as a team. I’m excited for CONCACAF and to see what’s out there. It’s my first time going so I don’t know exactly what to expect, but my hopes are high.”

Pacheco is joined on the 23-player squad by defender Bahar Sansar and midfielders Rehana Murani and Taylore Patterson. The squad will be cut down to 20 players for the tournament, which begins on Wednesday in Costa Rica. While Pacheco and Sansar have had international experience before, both were called in the Canadian senior national team squad last summer for exhibition games against the United States, should Patterson be named it would be the first time she would represent her country at any level.

“It would be amazing,” Patterson said. “I can’t wait. I hope that I’ll be on the plane, starting on the national team for qualifying, but you never know what happens.”

The opportunity for all four to compete for Canada does bode well for the Bulls as well, as Pacheco believes their play is improving.

“I think it will definitely help improve us,” Pacheco said. “We’re actually working together a lot more now with the national team, and with USF it will help us improve as a team.”