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BLACKSBURG – As the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup continues today with the U.S. team taking on Sweden, at least one member of the Virginia Tech women’s soccer team will be watching with keen interest.

Of course, she would. She herself recently returned from a soccer trip involving a U.S. international squad.

Ashley Meier, a rising senior for the Hokies, was a member of the U.S. Soccer U-23 team that spent a week in Sarpsborg, Norway, in late May participating in the 2015 Four Nations Tournament. The U-23 team serves as a feeder team for future U.S. National teams.

“It was a great experience,” said Meier, who returned to the States on June 1. “It was awesome. Winning was obviously awesome, and then being able to visit Norway was terrific. It was very green there. We stayed in a nice hotel that was near Sweden, and we went to shop at a mall in Sweden one day.

“The best part was the soccer and winning that tournament. Our coach made it feel like a World Cup. I liked that part of it. I loved the soccer and how competitive and how realistic it was, and getting the experience of international play. Being in a different country, too, and seeing their flags flying … it was a beautiful. I just loved being in a different culture and environment and seeing what different countries are like. And getting the international play was awesome.”

Meier made the squad after receiving an invitation to train with a group of 24 players at a camp held April 26-May 3 in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. The camp served as a barometer of sorts, allowing U.S. coaches to evaluate players and skills.

The camp featured 10 players from the ACC, and Meier knew most of them, having played against them during her first three years at Tech. They all went through grueling two-a-days in preparation for the tournament.

“It’s [the camp] mainly for your development – what makes you special and what’s going to get you to the full national team,” Meier said. “We had a lot of two-a-days. We scrimmaged a lot, and at the end, we did play a U-17 boys team from the area. Basically, it was a camp to allow them [the coaches] to see who they wanted to select to go to Norway. If you do get called, you’re going to know within the next two or three days after the camp is over. I got the email two days after I got home, and I was excited about it.”

Following the camp, the players went home before meeting in Newark, New Jersey, and then flying the seven hours to Norway. While in Norway, they played three games – Sweden, Norway and England. The team, coached by Illinois head coach Janet Rayfield, won twice, beating England 2-1 and Sweden 2-1. The U.S. team and Norway fought to a 2-2 draw. The Americans won the tournament with a 2-0-1 record.

Meier did not play a lot, seeing action only in the Norway game. The roster included 22 players, with four who had to sit out each game. Meier sat out the England game.

The experience affirmed what she knew about her game, both her strengths and weaknesses.

“One of my strengths is my attacking presence,” she said. “I like to run at people and distribute from my dribbling. I need to work on just being comfortable under pressure. The speed of play is very, very fast. So having my back to the goal, that’s something where I want to be a little more comfortable. I want to be more deceptive and creative to get out of that pressure.

“Every time I go, I feel like I learned a lot and that I’m a better player, which is awesome. Everyone there has so much talent, so I really do feel I gain a lot.”

Meier possesses plenty of international experience. She made the U-20 team that competed in La Manga, Spain, in 2013, and she made the U-20 team that competed in Osaka, Japan, in 2012.

The ultimate goal is to make the U.S. Olympic or World Cup squad.

“It’s something I aspire to do,” she said. “Every time I put on the U.S. jersey, it’s something I love to do, and it’s an awesome feeling. I feel honored to be there. I would love to be on the full team some day, if that’s something that comes my way. If I keep working on my strengths and weaknesses, I could potentially see myself there. It’s just a matter of strengthening those weaknesses and getting comfortable on the back end consistently.”

Meier plans on spending the remainder of her summer with her family in Strongsville, Ohio, and then returning to Tech a few weeks before the start of August workouts. She finished third on the team with seven goals a year ago and 17 points on her way to earning second-team All-ACC honors, and she and the Hokies will be looking to for another appearance in the Sweet 16 – and hopefully beyond.

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