China to play U-17 World Cup tune-up against UCSB women

China’s Under-17 women’s World Cup team will play the UCSB women’s team in an international exhibition match on Sunday, March 2 at 7 p.m. at Harder Stadium.

The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup begins March 15 in Costa Rica. China plays Nigeria, Mexico and Colombia in group play. It opens against Nigeria on March 16.

“This is an outstanding opportunity for our team and our community,” said UCSB head coach Paul Stumpf. “You don’t often get the chance to play a team of this caliber in your non-traditional season and we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

While the game is slated to be contested at Harder Stadium, depending on the amount of rain that the Santa Barbara area experiences over the next few days, it’s possible it could be moved to Robertson Gymnasium Field 4, which is adjacent to the Recreation Center on campus. All Rob Gym fields have artificial turf.

Admission to the game is free to all, whether at Harder Stadium or Rob Gym Field 4.