How 5 former Bulls fared in the Women’s World Cup

Demi Stokes (right) was one of five former USF women's soccer players in the Women's World Cup. ORACLE FILE PHOTO

The U.S. women’s national team claimed its second consecutive and fourth overall FIFA Women’s World Cup title on Sunday, defeating the Netherlands 2-0 in Lyon, France.

Although it’s the Americans on everyone’s minds, five former Bulls played in the World Cup, with some proving to be crucial to their respective nations.

Christiane Endler

Christiane Endler played for USF from 2012-2013 and currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain and Chile.

Chile’s hero is arguably the best women’s goalkeeper in the world, and she proved to be crucial for La Roja Femenina. Endler made 12 saves in Chile’s three games, averaging four saves.

Endler was named Player of the Match in Chile’s 3-0 loss to the eventual champion U.S. She made six saves in the game and kept the U.S. scoreless in the second half.

Chile defeated Thailand 2-0 in the third game of the group stage and Endler was credited for making two big saves in Chile’s first ever World Cup win. 

Olivia Chance

Everton and New Zealand midfielder Olivia Chance, who played for the Bulls from 2012-2015, started in all three of the Football Ferns’ World Cup games.

Chance’s run in the World Cup started strong, as she almost gave New Zealand the lead against eventual runner-up the Netherlands in the 11th minute, when she chipped a shot over the Dutch goalkeeper but hit the crossbar. New Zealand went on to lose 1-0, with Chance’s shot being one of only five shots for New Zealand.

Her performance dipped in the second group stage game, in which New Zealand lost 2-0 to Canada. Chance lost possession five times, the most of any New Zealand player, and had a pass success rate of 58%.

In the last game of the group stage against Cameroon, Chance managed to redeem herself slightly. She had a pass success rate of 78%, but she was subbed off in the 88th minute. 

The Football Ferns lost 2-1 to Cameroon and finished last in Group E.

Demi Stokes

Demi Stokes played as a forward for USF from 2011-2014. Since then, she’s transitioned to left back and plays for Manchester City and England.

She earned her first full 90 minutes in England’s 2-0 victory over Japan in the third game of the group stage. Stokes had a pass success rate of 79% with 33 accurate passes.

After sitting on the bench against Cameroon, Stokes was restored to the starting 11 and played a full 90 minutes in the 3-0 victory over Norway in the quarterfinal. She created one chance and had a pass success rate of 83%.

Stokes took her good form into the semifinal and played the full 90 minutes against the U.S. She had a pass success rate of 85%. Despite a notable performance from Stokes, the U.S. defeated England 2-1.

Trudi Carter

Trudi Carter played for USF from 2015-2016 and is a forward for A.S. Roma Women and Jamaica. She played in two of Jamaica's three games, starting one.

Carter started the first game of the group stage against Brazil, contributing three shots and a pass success rate of 79%. Her steady performance wasn’t enough to keep the Brazilians at bay, as Jamaica lost 3-0.

Carter played the final 31 minutes of the 4-1 loss against Australia. 

Jamaica finished last in Group C.

Nicole McClure

Jamiacan international goalkeeper Nicole McClure played for the Bulls from 2009-2011 and now plays for Sion Swifts WFC in Northern Ireland.

A backup goalkeeper to Jamaica’s 19-year-old Sydney Schneider, McClure didn’t play in the first two games of the group stage.

After Scheinder allowed eight goals in two games, McClure started against Australia. McClure didn’t fare much better, giving up four goals to Australian star Sam Kerr.