Palisades resident Ali Riley had the opportunity of a lifetime this summer when she was invited to play for New Zealand’s Under-20 national team at the FIFA Women’s World Championships in Russia. She certainly made the most of her opportunity. Riley played an integral role in the Kiwis’ first trip to the tournament, playing well throughout and being named player of the match against the host nation despite New Zealand’s 3-2 defeat. ‘I’m obviously proud of the award, but I’d rather have the three points, or even just one,’ Riley said afterwards. ‘We came so close, and the team is absolutely gutted.’ Riley assisted on teammate Emma Humphries’ tying goal in the 56th minute of the Kiwis’ game against Russia, sifting between two defenders to deliver a pinpoint pass. Playing the wing, Riley nearly gave New Zealand the lead but goalie Elvira made a diving save. New Zealand failed to advance beyond pool play but improved every game. After losing to Australia and Russia, the Kiwis battled highly-touted Brazil to a 0-0 tie. Riley graduated from Harvard-Westlake High in the spring, where she was an All-CIF player for the Wolverines. She will play for Stanford as a freshman this fall.
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