Former Copa Players Nicole Baxter and Erin Simon Return To Competitive Action This Week
FC Copa will be represented by two former players when The National Women’s Soccer League returns this weekend with the NWSL Challenge Cup. Nicole Baxter, a midfielder for Sky Blue FC, and Erin Simon, a defender for the Houston Dash, both graduated to the professional ranks after their time with FC Copa.
“I’m so excited to be joining Sky Blue FC for the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup,” said Nicole Baxter on her return to play. “I think this is probably one of the coolest events to be a part of given how unique this year has been, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity. I’ve changed teams and environments a lot over the past couple years, so I feel more than prepared for the next couple of weeks. I’m just really anxious to get started in Utah!”
A Pennington, NJ native, Baxter served as team captain while at William & Mary and has also played professionally in Sweden.
Baxter went on to discuss how NJ Copa FC and UWS helped position her for the next stages of her career, “My film from my time with NJ Copa FC is actually what got me my first opportunity in Europe, so I really credit Copa and the UWS for giving so many of us the opportunity to continue playing at a high level. Leagues like the UWS are so important for the development of American players, and being on that NJ Copa team with so many talented players helped my career tremendously.”
Erin Simon signed with Houston Dash in January of this year. The Oakhurst, NJ native played at Syracuse University. She has had stints at Sky Blue FC and West Ham United in her professional career.
The NWSL Challenge Cup is an eight-team, 23-game tournament with all games staged at Zions Bank Stadium, home of Utah Royals FC. Follow our former FC Copa Players with Erin Simon’s Houston Dash schedule and Nicole Baxter’s Sky Blue FC Group Play schedule as follows, including a head to head match up on Wednesday, July 8 at 10:00pm ET. Games can be viewed on CBS All Access (visit www.cbs.com/all-access for more information).
Tuesday June 30, 2020
Houston Dash - Utah Royals 12:30pm ET
OL Reign - Sky Blue FC 10:00pm ET
Saturday, July 4
Utah Royals - Sky Blue FC 12:30pm
Houston Dash - OL Reign 10:00pm ET
Wednesday, July 8
Sky Blue FC - Houston Dash 10:00pm ET
Sunday, July 12
Washington Spirit - Houston Dash 12:30pm ET
Monday, July 13
Sky Blue FC - North Carolina Courage 10:00pm ET
The complete list of NWSL Challenge Cup games can be found here: www.nwslsoccer.com/schedule