By Doug Krikorian, Sports Columnist Long Beach Press-Telegram

Anna Picarelli, a Downey native and 2002 St. Joseph High graduate who has been playing professional soccer in Italy for the past three years, is the starting goalkeeper for the Italian national team that has been participating in the Women's Euro Cup 2009 in Finland.

It has beaten England and Russia, lost to Sweden, and today will face Germany in a single-elimination quarterfinal match.

"Stories and pictures of Anna have appeared in all the Italian newspapers," says her proud father, Angelo Picarelli, owner of Cirvello's in East Long Beach. "She's fluent in Italian, and is often interviewed on Italian television."

Picarelli says his daughter is returning after the Euro Cup to attend a WPS (Women Professional Soccer) combine in Orlando in an attempt to hook on with one of the league's new expansion teams - Philadelphia or Atlanta - for the 2010 season.

Anna Picarelli starred at Pepperdine before going to Italy in 2006 where she has played for the Bartolino team in Verona.

She is only 5-foot-4, but makes up for her modest height with her quickness, agility and leaping ability.

"She can jump as high as women who are 5-10," says Angelo Picarelli.

After her Italian team's recent 2-1 win over England, she went up into the stands to see celebrate with her long-time boyfriend, Cameron Thomas, a film computer graphic designer who resides in Marina del Rey.

"She was telling him how great it was to win the match, and he said he had something great for her," relates Angelo Picarelli.

"And he presented her with an engagement ring. Obviously, Anna never will forget the England match."

She will be back in Italy with her national team for a couple of Women's World Cup 2011 qualifying matches against Belarus on Sept. 19 and Portugal on Sept. 23.

"Soccer is her passion," says Picarelli of his 25-year-old daughter. "She wants to keep playing it as long as she can, and then she'd like to coach it one day."