Soccer standouts Ashley Spivey and Jalen Robinson have done a lot of the things other high school teenagers do during summer break.

Spivey, 16, set to be a junior at McDonogh this fall, worked on getting her driver's license and enjoyed a family vacation at the beach. Robinson, also 16 and a rising junior at Mount St. Joseph, went to a couple of movies and got in some time at the pool with friends.

While making the most of their down time, the two All-Metro selections also took advantage of rare experiences that highlighted their time away from school — traveling abroad to play for U.S. youth national soccer teams.

Spivey was a key member of the U.S. under-17 women's team that captured the Nordic Cup in Denmark in early July.

Later that month, Robinson received a surprise invitation to play for the U.S. under-18 men's team in a series of international friendlies in Argentina and Chile. He made the most of the opportunity with fine play as the youngest member of the squad.

Both are fast to agree that the summer's best memory came when they first stepped onto the field wearing the red, white and blue.

"It's a moment I'll never forget, and I really can't describe it," Robinson said. "But just knowing that you're playing for your country is one of the greatest feelings you can have."

Spivey's trip to Denmark was a chance at redemption for the U-17 women.

Her first soccer experience out of the country came in March, when the team traveled to Costa Rica and finished a disappointing third at the CONCACAF Women's Championships. Playing a more prominent role as a defensive midfielder in Denmark, Spivey helped the U.S. go 3-0 in group play before defeating Germany, 2-0, in the championship game.

"Just knowing you and the 10 girls beside you are going to go out and play your hardest to represent your country is a great feeling. And you also know you're playing against girls that are feeling the same way," Spivey said. "Holding the trophy and knowing that we all earned it — we were all so proud of ourselves."

Starting all four games and never leaving the field, Spivey contributed a goal and an assist in the tournament and, more importantly, helped neutralize some of the opponents' top scoring threats with a tireless work rate that impressed coach Mike Dickey.

"She's tenacious, has a lot of passion for the game and has a great feel for it," Dickey said. "She covers a tremendous amount of ground and somehow always finds another gear to keep us connected out there."

Back at McDonogh, Spivey plays up front and has quickly emerged as one of the area's most dynamic scoring threats, contributing 45 goals and 26 assists in earning first-team All-Metro honors in her first two seasons.

She enjoys the camaraderie that comes with representing her school and willingly shares her soccer experiences with teammates. Her presence makes the Eagles the favorite to unseat two-time defending champion Archbishop Spalding in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference.

"The girls have always looked up to her, but, at the same time, she's always been like the little sister," McDonogh coach Harry Canellakis said. "That's going to be different this year because we have a young team and Ashley is now one of the older players. It's going to be fun to watch her develop as one of our leaders."

When Robinson got a phone call from his mother, Kim, informing him that he was invited to play for the U-18 men's side, he found it hard to believe.

It wasn't until he got back home and read the e-mail that he was convinced.

A smooth defender with gifted speed, Robinson has had plenty of experience abroad — traveling to Germany, Scotland, Ireland, England, Holland and South Africa — but this was the first time he was asked to play with the U-18 team.

A second surprise came the morning of the team's first game.

"The night before, we had our final practice and coach [Mike Matkovich] had the starters on one side and the substitutes on the other," Robinson said. "I was kind of bummed, but I couldn't let that get me down. But the next morning, I look on the list and I was starting across the back. I couldn't stop smiling."

In games against the Argentina, Chile and Bolivia junior national teams and an Argentine youth club, Rosario, the U.S. team managed only one tie. But Robinson started all four games and received high marks. Matkovich said he was consistently composed with the ball and in the right spots defensively.

"I think the thing that impressed me most was just the way he carried himself within the group," Matkovich said. "He was confident, and he got along well with the group and immediately fit in. And obviously when he steps on the field, that kind of carries over. He played with a lot of confidence, and his ability came through."

Back home, Robinson plans to do all he can to help Mount St. Joseph defend its Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference crown.

The Gaels captured the title last year with Robinson's help at the offensive end. He scored a tying goal with four seconds left against Calvert Hall in the semifinals, and the Gaels went on to win on penalty kicks. They followed with a win over McDonogh in the championship game, again on penalty kicks.

As a captain this season, his message to teammates are words he lives by whenever he's on the soccer field: "It's about competition and keeping things at a high level. You have to make sure every day you come out to play with a purpose."

glenn.graham@baltsun.com