U.S. women's soccer team calls up CUP, MND grad Lavelle

Welcome to the best team in the world, Rose Lavelle.
The 2013 Mount Notre Dame graduate and former Cincinnati United Premier soccer player was officially called up to the U.S. Women’s National Team roster Nov. 24. She will make her debut during the final four matches of the team’s Victory Tour in December.
Lavelle is one of eight players who will join 20 members of the World Cup championship team as they play international friendlies across the United States. She was notified that she’d be receiving the call-up a couple of months ago, and has had some time to mentally prepare for the moment.
“I’m very excited to get the opportunity,” Lavelle said. “I’m most excited to play with and learn from such great players.”


The 2015 Big Ten Midfielder of the Year and three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection has established herself as one of the bright young stars of the future for the reigning World Cup champions. Now, she will get her first opportunity to play with the big club.
“We are very excited and proud of Rose for her call in to the full women’s national team,” CUP Girls Director of Coaching Bobby Puppione said. “She had a fantastic youth career at our club and we are looking forward to seeing her display her talents on the international level with the U.S. National Team."

Lavelle was awarded the Golden Ball as the top player at the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship. In three seasons at Wisconsin, she has scored 16 goals and added 20 assists in 62 matches. The 20-year-old woman is one of two players who will make her USWNT debut next month, and is also one of two collegiate players now on the roster.
“It doesn’t seem very real right now, but I’m sure once I’m there my feelings and emotions will catch up with me,” Lavelle said.
She will return home to Cincinnati for Thanksgiving, then fly out to Honolulu to meet up with National Team Dec. 2. While she’s home for the holiday, she will train with Reneé Balconi, who gave her some advice on this exciting and somewhat nerve-wracking opportunity.
“Reneé always tells me, ‘If you’re nervous, it’s because you’re about to do something great,’” said Lavelle. “That always calms me.”

The final four matches of the Victory Tour take place on Dec. 6 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu and Dec. 10 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, both against Trinidad & Tobago, and Dec. 13 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and Dec. 16 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, both against China PR.  The match in New Orleans will be the career finale for Abby Wambach, the world’s all-time leading international scorer.
“I’ve grown up watching her. It will be really exciting to be there to send her off in person,” said Lavelle. “It still seems a little unreal that I’ll be there for that.”
While she has earned caps for the U-20 and U-23 national teams, making her debut with the top club will be a different experience. But, the overriding emotion will be the same as it has been each time she has donned a U.S. national team kit.
“When you’re lined up, listening to the national anthem, you just have a huge sense of pride,” she said, “because you get to represent your country.”