Van Dongen Joins National Team

Alabama’s Merel Van Dongen secured a place in the Netherlands National Women's Soccer Team in the 2013 European Championships.

The midfielder was one of the 23 players in the roster to represent the Netherlands. On June 10, she underwent training for the preliminary Netherlands National Team. Dutch national coach Roger Rabaya announced the last list on Monday.

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According to wsfa, Van Dongen will come back to Tuscaloosa after the competition to get ready for the second season. In 2012, she was named the SEC Freshman of the Year. She is the first player in UA program history to get that title simultaneously as All-SEC second-team performer, TopDrawerSoccer.com's Freshman Team of the Season, and NSCAA All-South Region performer.

The Netherlands National Women's Soccer Team will play under Group B. They will compete against seven-time European champion Germany on July 11. They will also face Norway and Iceland on July 14 and July 17 respectively.

The European Championships will be held on July 10, 2013 to July 28, 2013 in Sweden.