Pante begins U20 Women’s World Cup play Thursday

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica – Texas A&M soccer standout Mia Pante begins play at the 2022 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup on Thursday. The prestigious event runs from August 10-28 in Alajuela and San Jose, Costa Rica.

Canada U20 Women’s National Team head coach Cindy Tye selected Pante as one of 21 players to compete at the world championship. The Maple Leafs open the tournament against South Korea on Thursday with a 9 p.m. CT match which airs on FS1. The squad wraps up Group C action with 9 p.m. CT matches on FS2 against France (Aug. 14) and Nigeria (Aug. 17).

The quarterfinal round is August 20-21, the semifinal matches are August 25 and the championship match and third-place contest are August 28.

Pante played in all seven matches at the 2022 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship in March to help Canada qualify for the World Cup with a bronze medal match victory over Puerto Rico, 2-0. The Vancouver native starred on the backline that allowed just one goal in 630 minutes at the tournament as they outscored opponents 32-1 and posted six shutouts. Pante also scored a goal in Canada’s victory over Cayman Islands.

In her rookie campaign at Texas A&M in 2021, Pante earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team. She ranked fourth in the SEC in assists with eight, despite missing three matches. She played in 15 matches, including 13 starts, logging 867 minutes on the pitch. She ended the year with 10 points on one goal to go with her team-high assist count. She had a stretch of four straight games with an assist.

Pante has been an integral member of the Canada youth national teams since her U15 days. She played in the 2018 CONCACAF Girls U15 Championship in Bradenton, Florida, and was working with Canada attempting to qualify for the Women’s U17 World Cup when COVID-19 postponed the tournament.

Canada is looking for their first U20 world title. The Maple Leafs have participated in seven of the nine U20 Women’s World Cups, which have been contested every even year since 2002 with the exception of the COVID-riddled 2020. Canada’s best finish was a runner-up showing against the United States in the inaugural event in 2002.

This marks the third consecutive U20 Women’s World Cup that will include an Aggie. Ally Watt played for the United States squad that finished fourth at the 2016 tournament. Jimena López was a starter for the Mexico U20 Women’s World Cup squad in 2018.