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  • After World Cup, U.S. soccer player visits Mary Bridge patients

    Fresh off the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final in Germany and followed by an ESPN TV crew, U.S. national soccer team member Stephanie Cox visited young patients Thursday at MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital & Health Center in Tacoma, Wash.

    Cox, who lives in Gig Harbor, signed autographs, handed out caps and chatted with children in their hospital beds.She also showed them her silver medal from the 2011 World Cup, which concluded in July. Cox appeared in two games for the U.S. and earned an assist in the team’s 3-0 win over Colombia.

    ESPN filmed Cox interacting with patients for a series of short documentaries about four athletes who have found ways to give back to their communities. Cox's visit was arranged through Athletes For Hope, a nonprofit organization that aims to assist athletes in their efforts to contribute to their communities and charitable causes.

    Later this month, Cox will rejoin her World Cup teammates for two games against Canada, including a game Sept. 22 at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland, Ore., as part of the “WNT Celebration Series.” These will be the first matches for the U.S. women since the historic tournament in which the Americans fell to Japan in the World Cup Final after a dramatic penalty kick shoot-out, the team said in a news release. (Buy tickets here for the game in Portland.)

    Cox has made 76 appearances with the U.S. Women’s National Team.She played in college at the University of Portland. In 2005, she started all 25 games and helped the Pilots to an undefeated record of 23-0-2 and the NCAA Championship.

    In the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, she played as Stephanie Lopez before she was married to Brian Cox, a former University of Portland baseball player originally from Port Orchard. In the 2007 World Cup, she appeared in six games, including a victory in the game for third place.

    Stephanie Cox also played for the U.S. in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, which ended with a 4-2 U.S. win over Japan in the gold-medal game.

    Posted on Sep 9, 2011 in Gig Harbor