Church Selects 12-Player U.S. Women’s Beach Soccer National Team Roster for 2024 El Salvador Beach Soccer Cup

Beach WNT to Face England, El Salvador and Bahamas From March 28-30 with All Three Matches Live on ESPN3
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CHICAGO (March 20, 2024) – U.S. Women’s Beach Soccer National Team head coach Morgan Church has selected a 12-player roster for the team’s participation at the 2024 BSWW El Salvador Beach Soccer Cup to be held March 28-30 in Costa del Sol, El Salvador.

Set to play its first matches of 2024, the No. 7-ranked USBWNT will face No. 2-ranked England (March 28; 6 p.m. ET), No. 10-ranked El Salvador (March 29; 8:45 p.m. ET) and No. 12-ranked Bahamas (March 30; 6 p.m. ET) as it looks to claim its third all-time tournament title. All three matches will be shown live on ESPN3.

“This team is eagerly anticipating the chance to compete together at the El Salvador Cup,” Church said. “We’re all familiar with the caliber of the teams we’ll face, and we’ve set clear objectives for these matches. Every game presents an opportunity for us to strengthen as a team, and we’re excited to show the growth we’ve made with the ability and depth of roster that we’ve chosen.”

Having kicked off the year with a domestic training camp last month in Fort Lauderdale, the USBWNT is looking to build off its most successful campaign, going 6-3 in 2023 to set a new team record for most wins in a calendar year. All 12 players headed to El Salvador were part of February’s training camp, while six players on this roster also helped the side to a perfect 3-0 record at the Acapulco Cup last April in Mexico to claim the team’s second tournament title.

Featured on the roster are U.S. Soccer’s 2023 Female Beach Soccer Player of the Year Hannah Adler (Santa Barbara, Calif.), who claimed the award by tying for the team scoring lead with nine goals in as many matches during her first year playing with the Beach WNT. She’s joined on the squad by the other two finalists for last year’s award – joint-leading scorer Kilee Quigley (Salt Lake City, Utah), who had nine goals in eight games, as well as captain Ali Hall (Chicago, Ill.), who won the prize in 2021 and 2022. 

Joining that trio is USBWNT forward Lauren Leslie (San Clemente, Calif.), whose 16 goals in 21 appearances is the most in team history. Defensively, Jeané Sunseri-Warp (San Jose, Calif.) is the only player to appear in all 24 USBWNT matches since the program launched in 2019, and has been involved in each camp since then. Forward Samantha Martinez (née Witteman; Redondo Beach, Calif.), who had a team-leading seven goals during the Beach WNT’s debut year, is in line for her first caps since 2021 after giving birth.

Meanwhile, uncapped goalkeeper Vanessa Amaral (Union City, Calif.) and midfielder Tori Phillips (San Clemente, Calif.) are both in line for their first National Team appearances this month.

U.S. WOMEN’S BEACH SOCCER NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER (HOMETOWN; CAPS/GOALS):

Goalkeepers (2): Vanessa Amaral (Union City, Calif.; 0/0), Gabriella Batmani* (San Jose, Calif.; 9/0)

Defenders (3): Makenzie Chronopoulos* (Pasadena, Calif.; 12/0), Jeané Sunseri-Warp* (San Jose, Calif.; 24/4), Vanessa Valentine (San Diego, Calif.; 9/1)

Midfielders (4): Ali Hall* (Chicago, Ill.; 18/10), Lauren Leslie (San Clemente, Calif.; 21/16), Samantha Martinez (Redondo Beach, Calif.; 9/8), Tori Phillips (San Clemente, Calif.; 0/0)

Forwards (3): Hannah Adler* (Santa Barbara, Calif.; 9/9 ), Nikki Haimes (Miami, Fla.; 3/0), Kilee Quigley* (Salt Lake City, Utah; 19/15) 

*Part of 2023 Acapulco Cup Squad

U.S. WOMEN’S BEACH SOCCER NATIONAL TEAM IN 2023

The U.S. Women’s Beach Soccer National Team had its most successful year in 2023, going 6-3 to earn its highest win total in a calendar year. The team also claimed its second tournament title by going a perfect 3-0 at the Acapulco Beach Soccer Cup in Mexico last April, and also recorded its most successful attacking year since the program began in 2019, bagging 41 goals over nine matches.

2023 Results – U.S. Women’s Beach Soccer National Team
Date Opponent/Result Goal Scorers Competition
April 6 6-0 W vs. Bahamas Quigley (2), Adler, Garzon, Hall WBG Qualifying
April 7 7-2 W vs. Trinidad and Tobago Adler (2), Quigley (2), Hall, Leslie, Valentine WBG Qualifying
April 8 4-5 L vs. El Salvador Adler, Hunter, Lowder, Sunseri-Warp WBG Qualifying
April 14 7-2 W vs. England Adler (2), Hall (2), Garzon, Hunter, Quigley Acapulco Cup
April 15 5-2 W vs. Mexico Adler, Garzon, Quigley, Hunter, OG Acapulco Cup
April 16 5-4 W vs. Bahamas (aet) Quigley (2), Adler, Hall, Sunseri-Warp Acapulco Cup
Oct. 13 1-6 L vs. Portugal Quigley Mundialito
Oct. 14 2-5 L vs. Spain Leslie (2) Mundialito
Oct. 15 4-2 W vs. England Leslie (2), Adler, OG Mundialito

HISTORY VS. EL SALVADOR CUP OPPONENTS

Each of the USBWNT’s opponents in Costa del Sol are familiar foes, having played all three teams at least once in 2023. Both of the Beach WNT’s meetings against England came in 2023, defeating the Lionesses 7-2 to begin its march to the Acapulco Cup title last April, before earning a 4-2 win in the team’s finale at the Mundialito tournament last October in Ayamonte, Spain.

The USA holds a 2-1 advantage over El Salvador, but it was the hosts who got the last win, earning a 5-4 victory in the finale of the ANOC World Beach Games Qualifiers last April. Previously, the USBWNT defeated El Salvador 9-6 in the 2019 World Beach Games Qualifiers, and 3-1 in the 2022 El Salvador Cup. All three matches have been played in El Salvador.

The USBWNT will play its fifth overall match against Bahamas this month, with the Caribbean nation being the team’s most common opponent since its formation in 2019. In April 2023, the USA defeated Bahamas 6-0 in the opening match of the ANOC World Beach Games Qualifiers, also earning the team’s first-ever shutout. Just over a week later, the USA then earned a 5-4 extra time win to clinch the 2023 Acapulco Cup. The team earned a 7-1 win against Bahamas in the 2019 ANOC World Beach Games Qualifiers, and a 5-2 victory at the 2022 El Salvador Cup.

ADDITIONAL ROSTER NOTES

  • The roster has an average of nine caps and five goals.
  • The only player to appear in all 24 USBWNT matches, Jeane Sunseri-Warp is the leading cap-winner, followed by Lauren Leslie (21), Kilee Quigley (19), Ali Hall (18), and Makenzie Chronopoulos (12).
  • Six players were part of the side that won the Acapulco Cup last April and also took part in all five of the team’s camps in 2024: Hannah Adler, Gabriella Batmani, Makenzie Chronopoulos, Ali Hall, Kilee Quigley and Jeané Sunseri-Warp.
  • Goalkeeper Vanessa Amaral and midfielder Tori Phillips are in line for their first Beach WNT caps.   
  • In what was her first year playing international beach soccer, forward Hannah Adler was voted 2023 U.S. Soccer Female Beach Soccer Player of the Year. The Santa Barbara, Calif. product finished tied with 2023 Player of the Year finalist Kilee Quigley for the team’s scoring lead with nine goals.
  • Captain Ali Hall was the other 2023 Player of the Year finalist after winning the award in 2021 and 2022.
  • Forward Samantha Martinez (née Witteman) is in line for her first Beach WNT caps since 2021 after giving birth.
  • Forward Lauren Leslie capped 2023 by scoring four goals to claim the Golden Boot at the Women’s Mundialito tournament in Ayamonte, Spain.
  • With 16 goals in 21 appearances, Leslie is the Beach WNT’s all-time leading scorer, followed by Quigley (15 goals / 19 caps), Hall (10 goals / 18 caps),  Adler (9 goals / 9 caps) and Martinez (8 goals / 9 caps).

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