Maddie Bauer, U-17s' defensive pillar

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Mar 15, 2012

[FOUR THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ...] One of the pillars of the backline for the U.S. U-17 national team that recently returned from the Ten Nations Tournament, where it went unbeaten against older European competition, was Maddie Bauer. The 16-year-old defender comes from a long line of stars to be produced by Slammers FC, and she has verbally committed to Stanford.

IRONWOMAN ON DEFENSE. Bauer was one of only two players along with Morgan Andrews to play all 270 minutes in the USA's 2-0 wins over France and the Netherlands and 1-1 draw with England at the La Manga sports center in Spain. The U.S. team is currently preparing for Concacaf Women’s World Cup Qualifying that will be held from May 2-12 in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Bauer's busy schedule will hopefully include Azerbaijan 2012 for the world championships in the fall.

FEARLESS COMPETITOR. The Newport Beach, Calif., resident is one tough competitor. As a high school freshman, she chipped her front teeth playing at a national team camp. She picked up the pieces, put them in her socks and continued playing. "Her eyes and my eyes just met,” her mother, Kathleen, told the Peninsula Press, adding that the look “was just kinda like ‘damn.’ That’s the only word I can use to describe it.”

PIPELINE TO STANFORD. Bauer has verbally committed to Stanford, where she will follow other Slammers FC stars to play for the Cardinal. Christen Press, the 2010 Soccer America Player of the Year, 2011 Soccer America MVP Cami Levin, whose sister Savannah plays with Bauer, and Mariah Nogueira, who will be a senior in 2012, all played for Slammers FC.

MATER DEI STAR. Bauer, a high school junior, has a 4.2 GPA at Mater Dei, which is renowned for its sports programs. She was an all-Trinity League pick as a freshman and sophomore for the Monarchs.