ORLANDO - UCF women’s soccer has a pair of players that will represent their home nations at the
2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup that will be held in Colombia. Freshman defender Guta Franke has been named a member of Brazil’s 2024 U20 squad, while redshirt freshman
goalkeeper Genesis Perez Watson will play for Costa Rica.
The 2024 U20 Women’s World Cup will get underway on Saturday, Aug. 31 and will go through
Sunday, Sept. 22. Franke and Brazil’s first match is set for Aug. 31 against Fiji in Medellin,
Colombia, at 7 p.m. ET on Telemundo. Perez Watson and Costa Rica will get underway on Monday, Sept.
2 against the Netherlands in Cali, Colombia, at 9 p.m. ET, on Telemundo and Fox Soccer Plus.
At club level, Franke previously played for Sport Club Internacional, winning the Brasileiro four
times, once at the U16 and U17 levels, and twice at the U20 level. At the national level, she
competed with the U17 Brazilian National Team at the South American U17 Championship and
the U17 World Cup, winning gold and qualification to the U20 World Cup at the former. The
stalwart defender secured five clean sheets at the South American U20 Championship as an
instrumental member of the Brazilian back line.
Perez Watson played club football for Herediano for half a year before later joining UCF in the
summer of 2023. She redshirted with the Knights in 2023, her freshman year. She has competed
for Costa Rica at both the U17 and U20 levels, before being named to the Costa Rica National
Team roster for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Prior to UCF, Perez Watson won the 2023 Florida
High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) class 3A state championship with Montverde
Academy.
Following their opening matches, Franke and Brazil will continue their charge in Group B in a
highlight clash against France on Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. on Telemundo, Fox Soccer Plus, and
NBC Universo. Brazil will finish its Group Stage campaign against Canada on Friday, Sept. 6 at 9
p.m. on Telemundo, hoping to qualify for their fifth consecutive U20 Women’s World Cup
knockout stage.
Perez Watson and Costa Rica will play on in Group F as they face off against Korea DPR on
Thursday, Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. on Telemundo and Fox Soccer Plus, before finishing the group
campaign against Argentina on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 4 p.m. on Telemundo and NBC Universo.
Following the group stages of the competition, Franke and Perez Watson will hope to play on in
the knockout stages and beyond, beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The third-place playoff is set
for Saturday, Sept. 21, followed by the 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup final on Sunday,
Sept. 22.
To view a more detailed schedule for the 2024 FIFA U20 Women's World Cup, click HERE.
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Genesis Perez Watson has been called up to Costa Rica’s U20 National Team to take part at the 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia 💥
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) August 24, 2024
Two Knights will participate in the U20 World Cup, as Guta Franke will play for Brazil!#U20WWC pic.twitter.com/BmXLCTu8PO
Freshman defender Guta Franke has been called up to Brazil's U20 National Team to take part at the 2024 FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in Colombia 💥@SelecaoFeminina #SeleçãoFemininaSub20 #U20WWC pic.twitter.com/YxFCNBDYd9
— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) August 15, 2024