Without any major international tournaments this year, the U.S. national team system has toned down its training program, but that hasn’t stopped Duke’s top players from making a name for themselves on the national team level.
Senior Mollie Pathman and incoming freshman Toni Payne have each continued their participation in the U.S. soccer youth national system this past spring. Pathman played with the U23 team during a camp in Chula Vista, Calif. May 11-18, and after participating in training camp earlier in the spring, Payne joined the U20 squad for two games in Gavel, Sweden to help defeat both the U20 and U23 Swedish national teams May 31 to June 2.
“Any time you go into camp, it’s a great time because you can be seen,” Pathman said. “The full national team coach was in at one of our camps in April, which is great exposure. And it’s also a great time to train with some of the best players in the country.”
As a junior, Pathman helped guide the U20 squad to a World Cup title last September alongside fellow Blue Devil Kelly Cobb. Due to their national-team commitments, the duo missed the nonconference portion of Duke’s regular-season schedule.
This year, however, Pathman has had a far quieter national team schedule. After receiving less funding during a year without a World Cup, the U23 team will not reconvene for any camps until December.
“For me this is the most relaxing and least national-team-filled summer that I’ve had,” the Durham native said. “It’s been pretty odd actually. I don’t know what to do with my time…. It’s weird not to be going to camps.”
Pathman has had a busy career in the youth national team system. She has played in the U.S. youth national team system from the U14 age group and in 2012 alone, traveled to Spain, Panama and Japan for tournaments.
Payne, a midfielder and forward from Birmingham, Ala., is off to a similar path of success playing at the youth national team level. She started with the U15 program, and last year, she played U17 team that won the CONCACAF tournament in Guatemala and qualified for the age group’s World Cup as well, providing her with valuable international experience.
“I think playing in a World Cup gave me a lot more experience with playing a lot of international games,” Payne said. “It prepared me for [the games in Sweden.]”
In Sweden, Payne played in both games, coming on as a substitute each time. In addition to gaining international experience, she also had the opportunity to learn from her peers. Playing alongside the top young talent in the country—including one player who is a rising high school senior and another who plays professionally with the French First Division club Paris Saint-Germain—Payne said the U20 squad served as a valuable mentoring experience. Eight of Payne’s teammate already had collegiate experience, and the incoming freshman noted the impact of playing with 19-year-old professional Lindsey Horan.
“It just provides a huge range of different players in the group,” Payne said. “It’s just really good to be able to look up to them, especially the girl that’s playing pro.”
Joining the Duke squad this year, Payne will have a few other older players to look to for advice, including Pathman, who ran into Payne at a camp in February.
“It was nice to see a friendly face and a Duke face at camp,” Pathman said. “I was excited to talk about Duke and told her how excited I was that she was coming, and she seemed really excited too.
Pathman will be particularly helpful for the younger Blue Devil as she continues to train with the U20 squad in pursuit of a spot on the 2014 U.S U20 World Cup team.
“It was an unbelievable experience going to a team [U20] World Cup so I am so happy for her to have the opportunity,” Pathman said. “I think it’s going to help out that Kelly and I have already gone through it. We can help her. We’ve figured out the academics and how to balance it all. So I think it will really help having her and everyone else put Duke soccer on the map and make a name within the national team for Duke.”
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