Special to The News

Port Neches-Groves High School junior Grace Seymour has accepted an invitation to join the Houston Dash Development Academy in Houston.

The Houston Dash Development Academy, which was launched by the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team in fall 2017, is designed to accelerate the development of world-class female players as part of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy (USSDA).

“It is a tremendous honor to accept an invitation to train and play with the Houston Dash Development Academy,” said Seymour. “It’s been a dream of mine to play soccer at the highest level, and this opportunity means that I’ll be training with and playing against the best club players in the country.”

The USSDA was established to be the primary provider of U.S. Youth National Team players, college scholarship athletes, and professional players. US National Team scouts observe 50 percent of DA conference games and 100 percent of DA showcase games.

Seymour is expected to start at center back for the Houston Dash under-17 DA team this spring, which competes nationally with other Development Academies. As part of the commitment, Seymour is expected to train four days a week in Houston and play conference opponents in Austin, Dallas, Denver, and Kansas City. This spring, the Houston Dash DA is also slated to play in two DA Showcase tournaments in North Carolina and San Diego.

At Port Neches-Groves High School, Seymour was named the 2017 District 22-5A Midfielder of the Year and was awarded All-Region honors by the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches after helping the women’s team to the 5A Region III semifinals in the playoffs. She was also named the 2016 District 22-5A Utility Player of the Year as a freshman. Seymour was awarded Academic All-District honors in both 2016 and 2017.