TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona women's soccer will be represented on the international stage this summer as three Wildcats — assistant coach Nat Gonzalez (Puerto Rico), redshirt freshman Sofia Cortes-Browne (Canada) and sophomore Aurora Gaines (Puerto Rico) — have been selected to compete in the 2025 Concacaf Women's Under-20 Championship in Costa Rica.
Gonzalez will serve as the head coach of the Puerto Rican U-20 national team. He'll be joined on the sidelines by Gaines, in a unique opportunity for both to represent Puerto Rico on the same international stage
"As a coach and competitor, you are always looking to challenge yourself. The opportunity to coach the Puerto Rican national team (U20's and Full team) and striving to improve the federation has been an exciting project for me since 2021. To top it off, this being my heritage as all my family is from the island,"Gonzalez said.
"It will be an exciting time to be able to coach Aurora as we attempt to achieve something the Puerto Rican Federation has never done at any level or gender, qualify for a World Cup! This is a very unique opportunity for both of us and beneficial to any college soccer program to elevate its exposure in the NCAA landscape. Aurora's skill set will be an asset as we compete for a spot in the World Cup. But it will also give her an experience that she can learn from to bring back to our program as we start our season in the fall."
Gaines, a transfer from LSU, appeared in 15 matches during her freshman campaign with the Tigers. She brings extensive international experience, having played for both the U-17 and U-20 Puerto Rican national teams, as well as the U.S. Youth National Team system from 2017 to 2021. A four-star recruit by TopDrawerSoccer, Gaines also played with Concorde Soccer Club and the U-18 San Diego Wave team.
"I'm really excited to represent Puerto Rico again — it's always an honor to wear the jersey and play for something bigger than myself. Doing it under one of my college coaches makes it even better, since there's already that connection and trust," Gaines said. "I'm looking forward to competing with this group, giving it everything, and showing what Puerto Rico can do out there."
The tournament runs May 29 through June 8 at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in Alajuela, Costa Rica, and serves as the qualification pathway to the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, which will be held in Poland next fall.
The competition opens with a group stage featuring two groups of four teams each. After round-robin play from May 29 to June 3, the top two teams in each group will qualify automatically for the U-20 World Cup. Those four teams will also advance to the semifinals, set for June 6, followed by the championship final on June 8.
Cortes-Browne returns to the Canadian squad after helping her country reach the Round of 16 in the 2024 U-20 World Cup in Colombia. In her first season at Arizona, she made three appearances, including a career-best five-save performance in a full match at Houston on Oct. 13.
"It's an honor to wear the Canadian jersey and represent my country. I'm especially excited because it's another chance to compete at the highest level with an amazing group," Cortes-Browne said. "We've been working really hard to get to this point and I can't wait to show it on the field."
"It's an honor anytime you get to represent your country, and to do it on the path to qualifying for a World Cup is a big deal. We are excited for Sofia and Aurora. They will be competing at the highest level and gain valuable international experience this summer as they hopefully help their countries qualify," said Arizona head coach Becca Moros. "Sofia is always ready to work and willing to go the extra mile to improve her game. She's driven, dynamic and determined. Aurora's never met a 1v1 duel she didn't like. She has a lot of power and goal scoring ability, and I believe there's still another level she can reach."
Should Puerto Rico and Canada both advance as top-two finishers in their respective groups, Gaines and Cortes-Browne could face off in the semifinal round.
Fans can follow match results and standings throughout the competition on the Concacaf website.
The Wildcats will open their 2025 fall season in August.
