WSU’s Morgan Weaver, Makamae Gomera-Stevens called up to U.S. senior national team

Washington State’s soccer team didn’t stop making history after a 2-1 loss to North Carolina on Friday in the College Cup at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, California.

On Monday, senior Morgan Weaver and junior Makamae Gomera-Stevens were called up to the U.S. women’s national team and will join the four-time World Cup champions for Identification Camp in Bradenton, Florida, later this month.

Mykiaa Minniss, another member of the Washington State team fresh off the deepest postseason run in school history, has been called up to play for the U-20 U.S. national team to play in the 2019 Nike International Friendlies.

Weaver and Gomera-Stevens, forwards who combined to score 20 goals for the Cougars this season, were called up as fill-ins after two other players, forward Madison Haley and defender Naomi Girma, were injured while playing for Stanford last weekend in the College Cup. The Cardinal beat North Carolina in penalty kicks to win the national championship on Sunday.

The WSU duo will be the first Cougars to play for the U.S. senior team, which will be comprised of 24 other players from the NWSL and various college programs. The team includes two players from the UNC team that edged WSU last Friday in San Jose.

U.S. soccer had a booth in the press box at Avaya Stadium, presumably to scout potential national team members for the Identification Camp. The national team roster won’t include any players from the 2019 World Cup squad, but the camp will be led by new U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski.

Minniss, a defender for the Cougars, will take part in the U-20 friendly tournament that will take place at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. U.S. will play U-20 squads from Brazil and France on Dec. 11 and 13, the matches serving as preparation for February’s CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship.

It won’t be the first time wearing a U.S. jersey for Weaver, who spent two years in the U-23 system and played in the 2018 Thorns Spring Invitational. Weaver was just named a third-team All-American, becoming the second player in school history to receive All-America honors, and scored 15 times for the Cougars as a senior, third-most in school single-season history.

Gomera-Stevens, a Hawaii native, was clutch for WSU throughout the postseason and scored five game-winning goals for the Cougars as a junior. She scored decisive goals against Memphis and West Virginia in the NCAA Tournament and had an assist against Virginia during the biggest win in program history. She finished the season with five goals and five assists.

Like Gomera-Stevens, Minniss will aso be making her debut with the U.S. after the young defender helped the Cougars earn 10 shutouts this fall. With Minniss anchoring the back line, WSU had three shutouts in the postseason and the sophomore scored her first and only goal of the postseason on a corner kick in the 96th minute to help the Cougars beat South Carolina.