University of South Florida rising junior Demi Stokes and University of Georgia alum Ashley Baker will be coming back to the United States with a gold medal from the World University Games, hosted by Kazan, Russia.
They were the only two players on Great Britain’s women’s soccer roster who have played collegiate soccer in the United States.
Both played key roles in Great Britain’s run to the championship that ended with a 6-2 victory in the final over Mexico[show_disconnected][show_to accesslevel=’Subscriber’].
Stokes, a native of South Shields, England, averaged 88 minutes per game over the tournament’s six games, and served as team captain.
Baker, who was born in Graham, England, has grown up most of her life in the U.S., attending Parkview HS in the Atlanta area.
The former Georgia Bulldog, started every game in Russia, posting three shutouts in the tournament.
Great Britain opened the tournament with a 2-0 group win over Brazil, then dropped a 2-1 decision to Japan. They advanced to the quarterfinals with a 5-1 win over Estonia and roared past Ireland 8-0 in the quarters.
A second win over Brazil, a 1-0 shutout by Baker, advanced her team to the championship match.
Stokes, who has 33 appearances in two seasons at USF, 30 of them starts, tied for goal-scoring honors as a sophomore with four goals.
After graduating from UGA following last season, Baker made her professional debut with Sky Blue FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in early June. She was the 20th overall pick in the league’s college draft in January, selected in the third round.
As a senior for UGA last fall, she posted 112 saves and recorded five shutouts in 19 starts and 1,786 minutes of action. She concluded her career with 305 career saves – fourth all-time.
Both Stokes and Baker have been teammates on England’s junior national teams, including representing England at the 2010 Under-20 World Cup.
Baker’s international resume includes a call-up to the England Senior National Team in December of 2012, which included a trip to La Manga, Spain.
They were the only two players on Great Britain’s women’s soccer roster who have played collegiate soccer in the United States.
Both played key roles in Great Britain’s run to the championship that ended with a 6-2 victory in the final over Mexico[show_disconnected][show_to accesslevel=’Subscriber’].
Stokes, a native of South Shields, England, averaged 88 minutes per game over the tournament’s six games, and served as team captain.
Baker, who was born in Graham, England, has grown up most of her life in the U.S., attending Parkview HS in the Atlanta area.
The former Georgia Bulldog, started every game in Russia, posting three shutouts in the tournament.
Great Britain opened the tournament with a 2-0 group win over Brazil, then dropped a 2-1 decision to Japan. They advanced to the quarterfinals with a 5-1 win over Estonia and roared past Ireland 8-0 in the quarters.
A second win over Brazil, a 1-0 shutout by Baker, advanced her team to the championship match.
Stokes, who has 33 appearances in two seasons at USF, 30 of them starts, tied for goal-scoring honors as a sophomore with four goals.
After graduating from UGA following last season, Baker made her professional debut with Sky Blue FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in early June. She was the 20th overall pick in the league’s college draft in January, selected in the third round.
As a senior for UGA last fall, she posted 112 saves and recorded five shutouts in 19 starts and 1,786 minutes of action. She concluded her career with 305 career saves – fourth all-time.
Both Stokes and Baker have been teammates on England’s junior national teams, including representing England at the 2010 Under-20 World Cup.
Baker’s international resume includes a call-up to the England Senior National Team in December of 2012, which included a trip to La Manga, Spain.
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