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          Pac-12 Blog

          Women's World Cup hype hits Pac-12

          • Chantel Jennings, ESPN Staff WriterJul 1, 2015, 05:00 PM ET
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            • Covers the Pac-12
            • Joined ESPN in 2011
            • Graduate of the University of Michigan
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          Even if you've just seen or read one interview with any member of the U.S. Women's National Team participating in the World Cup, you've probably heard about how important this tournament is for them in growing the sport in America.

          From Abby Wambach to Alex Morgan to Sydney Leroux to Kelly O'Hara, each woman has explained how important it is to win this tournament in order to keep building the popularity of the sport in America. And it seems like -- at least via Twitter -- that it's building within the Pac-12 football realm. If you haven't caught notice recently, several conference accounts and players have been tweeting their support for the team and players.

          Quite a few of the women's national team players spent their college careers in the Pac-10/12. Amy Rodriguez helped USC win its first national title and finished her career as the Trojans' No. 4 all-time scorer. Alex Morgan, who scored 45 goals during her college career at Cal, got a nice compliment from a fellow Cal record holder. And former Stanford linebacker Shayne Skov gave a shout out to Kelley O'Hara, after the former Cardinal scored the USWNT's second goal in the team's 2-0 victory over Germany on Tuesday. O'Hara became the Cardinal's first-ever Hermann Trophy winner (the Heisman of college soccer) in 2009. And it seems as though the fandom at Arizona State has gone beyond just tweeting congratulatory messages. Mike Bercovici and Jordan Simone decided to try their hand (and foot) at some penalty kicks.