By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, APRIL 14, 2015 – Jackie Simpson was early in her USF career when head coach Denise Schilte-Brown said her soccer future would be bright if she committed herself to becoming an elite player.

Years of hard work have led Simpson to the opportunity of a lifetime.

Simpson has been invited to the U.S. Soccer Under-23 Women's National Team camp that takes place April 26-May 3.

“I think it's always exciting for a coach to see when a player sees their true potential. When they wake up and go, 'Oh, I can do this,' and then they make it happen, it's just awesome to see the change,” Schilte-Brown said. “Jackie is blessed with some incredible athletic ability and she made the mental and physical changes to get there.”

Simpson, a senior from Lithia, Fla., started her collegiate career as a defensive center midfielder and excelled once the coaching staff switched her to center back as a sophomore.

“The minute she moved to center back we saw some real potential,” Schilte-Brown said.

Simpson dedicated herself to becoming even more of an impact player for the Bulls heading into her junior year and the results speak for themselves. Simpson earned all-conference second-team  honors after helping USF post nine shutouts and reach the NCAA tournament in 2014. Simpson also scored two game-winning goals and started all 22 games for the Bulls.

“At the end of games we would see her in the attacking third of the field trying to win games for us,” Schilte-Brown said. “She was the most competitive player on the field and she was a great teammate. She made the players around her better.”

Simpson joins a growing list of Bulls associated with their national programs. Demi Stokes (England) and Diana Saenz (Costa Rica) have the potential of playing for the countries in the upcoming World Cup. Daniela Andrade is a member of the Guatemalan national team and Estefania Fuentes Del Razo is in Mexico's World Cup selection pool.

“We have the support of USF, which is really important,” Schilte-Brown said. “It's about the atmosphere we've created on the team. It's a family atmosphere where the team doesn't feel slighted that someone would leave to go to their national team. They actually want them to take a piece of us with them.”