After winning an NWSL championship and taking home individual accolades with her club team, Ashley Hatch was called into the US Women’s National Team camp for the pair of friendly matches against Australia to close out the year.

Despite being capped twice with the national team previously, this was the former BYU star’s first call-up since 2018.

Having a chance to prove herself among a team mixed with national team veterans and first-timers, Hatch shined on the big stage and in the process showed why she should be considered a national team regular.

In her first-ever start for the US, she scored her first-ever goal in a national team jersey.

Just 24 seconds (yes, you read that correctly) into Friday’s match, Hatch delivered the opening goal off a headed pass from Lynn Williams, jumpstarting a 3-0 US win over Australia. 

She received another start in the rematch early Tuesday morning (at least here in Utah it was), scoring the opener in the fourth minute.

Lynn Williams was again involved in the goal, finding an in stride Midge Purce down the right side of the pitch. Purce then laid the ball perfectly into the patch of an in rhythm Ashley Hatch, who fired the ball towards the far post and into the back of the net.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw, concluding the national team’s 2021 schedule.

Going forward

Finally getting a chance to play under a new coach, Hatch delivered two goals in two matches, which is as good as anyone could have asked for.

After playing so well in the final camp of 2021, has she earned a spot on future rosters for the national team?

It will be tough with the US always stacked at the forward position, but the retirement of Carli Lloyd, the uncertain future of Megan Rapinoe, and Christen Press taking time away from the game to focus on her mental health, this is a perfect opportunity for Hatch to step up and earn a more permanent spot with the national team.

After how she played in 2021, she seems more than ready for the challenge.

Former BYU star Ashley Hatch Leads the Way for Washington’s Title Hopes

 

Previous articleCollege Football Bowl Projections: Can BYU Land in the New Year’s Six?
Next articleUtah Jazz Weekly Recap: Are the Jazz Better or Worse than their Record?
Spencer has always been passionate about sports, growing up playing and following various sports. He ran cross country in high school and began his journey in sports media in 2017 as a journalism intern at The Spectrum & Daily News. Since then, his work has been published in numerous outlets including Deseret News, Standard-Examiner, St. George News, Southern Utah Now, SUU's Thunderground, SB Nation's RSL Soapbox, FanSided's Venom Strikes, fan-insider.com, The Spurs Web, and Iron County Today. Spencer is the founder of Stadium Sportzz and both the Sportzz with Spencer and Mountain States Sports Report podcasts. His experience extends to public address announcing, having first served as the PA announcer for Southern Utah University soccer in 2017 and as a high school sports PA announcer. He is now entering his fourth year as a PA announcer at Utah Tech University, where he also occasionally takes on the role of in-game emcee. Spencer's versatility also extends to radio, where at The Fan Sports Network he produced high school and Utah Tech athletics broadcasts, hosted the weekly Region 9 Football Tailgate Show, and appeared daily on The Drive. Now working towards completing his Bachelor's degree in Media Studies, Spencer was recently named the Sports Director at Utah Tech University's 91.3 The Blaze for the 2024-25 year. He will host a weekly show and serve as a play-by-play broadcaster, continuing his dedication to sports journalism and broadcasting. When he isn’t talking, writing about, or watching sports, Spencer enjoys traveling and spending time with his amazing wife.