Wisconsin Soccer Central

While UW-Parkside has a very successful women's soccer program, you wouldn't normally think of the NCAA Division II school in the Kenosha County town of Somers as the home of national team players.

Until now, that is.

Rangers junior midfielder Jasmine Espino was named to the Guatemalan women's national team as the side prepares for 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying. She's the first Parkside player to earn a spot on a senior national team.

"This is a great accomplishment for both Jasmine and our women's soccer program," Rangers coach Troy Fabiano said in a news release. "This opportunity reflects all the hard work and commitment she has put into getting better and an invitation to play on a national team is the highest individual accomplishment that any player could hope to receive."

Espino is from Chicago, but qualifies for Guatemala because her mother is a native of the country – she and her younger sister previously had trials for the Under-20 team, but were unable to play due to school obligations.

She was chosen for the senior team following a tryout in late November and is one of four players on the 26-member squad playing college soccer in the U.S. Espino returned to Central America last month, heading to Nicaragua for a study abroad program, and is scheduled to report to national team camp Feb. 15.

Guatemala, ranked 76th in the world and seventh out of the 33 teams in the CONCACAF region, faces Costa Rica – 40th in the world and fourth in the region – in March. The two sides have traditionally been among the top women's teams in Central America, but have struggled against the three regional powers: the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

"La Seleccion Chapina" have never qualified for the Women's World Cup, but 2015 offers perhaps their best chance yet: CONCACAF received three automatic berths in the expanded 24-team tournament, while the fourth-place finisher in regional qualifying will play the third-place finisher from the CONMEBOL region (South America). And Canada won't be among the teams vying for those spots as it automatically qualified as the host country.

In three seasons at Parkside (2009, '11 and '12), Espino has made 47 appearances, with all but one of her 21 starts coming last fall. She has six goals and six assists in her college career, including four goals and an assist in 2012.

• Meanwhile, Rangers defender Niekie Pellens is back home in the Netherlands as she was one of 35 players invited to the Dutch Under-19 women's national team selection camp Monday. Pellens, a native of Naarden, is looking to earn one of 18 spots on the team that will play in the second round of European Under-19 Championship qualifying this spring. Coach Aart Korenhoff's side faces Sweden on April 4, the Republic of Ireland on April 6 and Italy on April 9 in Group 1 play; the six group winners and the top runner-up will join host Wales for the tournament from Aug. 19 to 31. Pellens, the only player invited to the selection camp who plays outside of Europe, redshirted as a freshman at Parkside last fall.