Heading back to Utah and pouring in goals, Ashley Hatch has confidence to make an impact with USWNT

The 28-year-old Washington Spirit forward was called into camp for the U.S. women's national team for upcoming friendlies against Colombia in Sandy and San Diego.

Ashley Hatch is coming back to Utah, her second home.

The former BYU star who grew up in Arizona was called into the 27-player training camp for the U.S. women’s national team’s upcoming October friendlies by interim manager Twila Kilgore.

The United States will face Colombia on Oct. 26 at America First Field in Sandy (7 p.m. MT, TBS/Universo/Peacock), where Hatch received her first minutes with the national team. The team will then travel to San Diego to face Las Cafeteras in another friendly Oct. 29 at Snapdragon Stadium (3:30 p.m. MT, TNT/Telemundo/Universo/Peacock).

The match will be also feature U.S. veteran Becky Sauerbrunn, the former Utah Royals FC captain who missed the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup with a foot injury, and Sophia Smith, the NWSL Golden Boot winner for Portland.

• Get tickets to USA v. Colombia in Sandy, Utah here.

Also included on the 27-player roster are two teenagers, including the first call-up Salt Lake City-born midfielder Olivia Moultrie, the uncapped 18 year old who is taking the NWSL by storm.

But for Hatch, next Wednesday’s friendly is unique. Her husband Jeff is from Utah, and the duo still have “tons” of family and friends in the Beehive State, as well as Hatch’s immediate family in Arizona.

“Utah has a special place in my heart,” she said. “It’s always fun to be able to play in front of a lot of friends and family who live there … I’m just really looking forward to the opportunity.”

It’s the second time Hatch has been called into camp since being left off the roster for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, a controversial snub by former head coach Vlatko Andonovski She’s spoken out publicly several times since then about Andonovski’s decision not to take Hatch to Australia/New Zealand, including on a recent “Hey Spirits” podcast in September.

“I feel like I did everything within my power that I could have done to make the roster, and like you said, that was kind of my role the last year and a half to be the backup nine (to Alex Morgan),” she said. “I feel like I fulfilled my role to the best of my ability and made the most of the opportunities that I did get. It’s all coach’s opinion at that point. So I could say that I feel like I did enough, but if the coach doesn’t think so, then it wasn’t enough.”

Even if it was earlier this year, Hatch has learned a lot since that national team snub.

“It’s always a motivation to play on the national team,” Hatch said. “But ultimately, at the end of the day, it’s the coach’s decision to decide who is going to make the roster. So I’m going to continue to do everything in my power to play the best soccer that I can play and be the best teammate and person that I can be. At the end of the day, if I get the opportunity, then I will gladly take that opportunity.”

Of course, Hatch feels like a different player since then. She’s still scoring buckets in the NWSL — nine goals in 22 games for the Washington Spirit, who finished eighth in the league with a record of 7-6-9 in 2023. That was tied for third in the NWSL’s Golden Boot race, two goals behind Smith.

In other words, she approaches her career — and life — like a new person.

“I feel like I’ve learned a lot as a player and a person going through missing a roster that I was really hopeful to make,” Hatch said. “I think for me, I have this new perspective about not taking anything for granted, working hard, and also valuing myself — whether I do or don’t make a roster. That’s really difficult to do, but I have confidence in myself and my abilities. I’m not giving my confidence away to anyone, whether it’s a coach deciding if I do or don’t make a roster. We as players work really hard to get the approval of a coach to make a roster; going through that was really difficult, but I feel like I have a newfound confidence and believe as a player. That’s what I have found in myself on the pitch, and I try to use that to my advantage as I move forward.”

In Sandy, Hatch returns to the place where the former BYU star made her first international appearance, Oct. 19, 2016, as a second-half substitute during the United States’ 4-0 win over Switzerland.

Sandy is also the site where Alex Morgan got her first of 213 international caps, a snow-filled debut against Mexico on March 31, 2010. In all, five players on the current roster debuted for the United States at then-Rio Tinto Stadium, including Casey Krueger, Andi Sullivan and Lynn Williams.

She’ll no-doubt have plenty of supporters on-hand, if for nothing more than BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood and a handful of former teammates of her college team with whom she scored 57 goals with 21 assists in 21 matches in four seasons. The seventh-ranked Cougars (13-1-3, 6-0-3 Big 12) wrap up their first regular season in the Big 12 on Monday against UCF at South Field in Provo.

And Hatch has been virtually with them every step of the way.

“It’s been super fun to follow them,” she said. “Obviously with social media, it’s really easy to get updates on all their games. I turn on the game every time I am available. I think being in a new conference has been great for them, presenting new challenges and new teams. I’m super excited to follow them the rest of the season.”

Perhaps one day, Hatch will return to the Beehive State to play professionally; the Utah Royals will re-launch as one of two expansion teams in 2024, and “Hatchy” would be a natural fit for the organization.

But for now, the veteran pro is “pretty loyal to the Spirit” after signing a contract extension and a club option keeping the forward in Washington D.C. through at least the 2024 season.

“I don’t think it would be a bad place to end up,” said Hatch, who joined the Spirit in 2018 after spending her first season in NWSL with the North Carolina Courage. “But we’ll see.”

USWNT roster by position (team/caps/goals): Training camp vs. Colombia

GOALKEEPERS (3): Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit; 1), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage; 15), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 96)

DEFENDERS (9): Alana Cook (OL Reign; 27/1), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC; 138/24), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage; 35/1), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC; 22/0), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign; 31/0), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars; 40/0), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC; 216/0), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign; 79/2), M.A. Vignola (Angel City FC; 1/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 4/0), Savannah DeMelo (Racing Louisville FC; 4/0), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 135/29), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC; 0/0), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit; 26/3), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit; 51/3)

FORWARDS (9): Mia Fishel (Chelsea FC, ENG; 1/0), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 20/5), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC; 213/121), Midge Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 24/4), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit; 24/6), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC; 0/0), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 34/14), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC; 7/0), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 57/17)