U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team storms past Argentina 9-0

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina (Via U.S. Soccer) – The U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team opened the Copa Provincia de Buenos Aires tournament with a 9-0 victory against Argentina as forward Sunshine Fontes scored four goals.

Forward Petyon Linnehan scored twice while midfielder Croix Bethune, forward Isabella D’Aquila and defender Kate Wiesner added single scores.

The original games schedule for the tournament had the USA playing Chile first, but it was switched after the U.S. team arrived in Argentina, and the Americans will now face Uruguay on Feb. 15 and Chile on Feb. 17. Uruguay defeated Chile 3-0 in the other match.

It was the second four-goal performance of the year for Fontes as she also found the net four times against Venezuela on Jan. 15 in Florida. The hat trick plus one upped her international goal total to 10 in 14 caps.

The first goal came just four minutes into the game as captain Kate Wiesner dribbled down the left sideline and crossed hard on the ground for Fontes to finish. The USA had to wait until the 32^nd minute for its second, but it came via a Wiesner to Fontes connection again on a similar scoring sequence.

+READ: Girls Development Academy East Conference Recap | February 10-11, 2018

Linnehan added the third after picking up a deflection off an Argentina player and nailing a powerful shot into the left side of the net from outside the penalty area. On the cusp of halftime, Bethune scored her seventh career international goal to make 4-0 after beating several defenders and hitting a rocker from outside the box.

Five minutes into the second half, Bethune set up Linnehan for her second, and fourth of her U-17 career, and then Fontes scored in the 53^rd and 64^th minutes to complete her four-goal day. The first goal saw the Hawaii native Fontes clinical inside the penalty area once again, finishing a cross on the ground from Maya Doms, and the second came after she ran onto a through ball from Linnehan, dribbled around the ‘keeper and slotted home on the ground.

D’Aquila added the eighth goal (and her sixth internationally) in the 76^th while Wiesner finished the scoring off a header in the 86^th for her third goal at the U-17 level.

U.S. head coach Mark Carr brought 22 players for the trip, almost all who have seen extensive action with the squad during the first year of this cycle in 2017. Sixteen of the players come from U.S. Soccer Girls’ Development Academy clubs.

The USA will participate in the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship being held in Nicaragua from April 19-29. The Americans seeded into Group B where they will face Costa Rica, Bermuda and Canada in the tournament that will qualify three teams to the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

+Boehm: Notes from U.S. Soccer’s Board of Directors meeting

Carr’s roster consists of 18 players born in 2001 – the age cut off year for the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup — and four born in 2002.

The three South American teams, some of the strongest on the continent for women’s soccer outside of Brazil, are also preparing for their World Cup qualifying tournament. All three will participate in the 2018 South American Under-17 Women’s Football Championship being held in March in Argentina. As host, Uruguay has an automatic berth, meaning only the top two finishers at that tournament will earn berths to the World Cup.

U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team Match Report

Match: United States U-17 Women’s National Team vs. Argentina U-17 Women’s National Team
Date: February 13, 2018
Competition: Copa Provincia de Buenos Aires; Mar del Plata, Argentina
Venue: Estadio José María Minella
Attendance: 300
Weather: 70 degrees, clear, light wind

Scoring Summary:    1          2          F
USA                             4          5          9
ARG                            0          0          0

USA – Sunshine Fontes (Kate Wiesner)                               4^th minute
USA – Sunshine Fontes (Kate Wiesner)                                32
USA – Peyton Linnehan                                                         34
USA – Croix Bethune                                                             45
USA ­– Peyton Linnehan (Croix Bethune)                              50
USA –  Sunshine Fontes (Maya Doms)                                  53
USA –  Sunshine Fontes (Peyton Linnehan)                          65
USA – Isabella D’Aquila (Smith Hunter)                                76
USA – Kate Wiesner (Jordan Canniff)                                   86

Lineups:
USA: 1-Angelina Anderson; 4-Talia DellaPeruta (14-Smith Hunter, 62), 23-Kennedy Wesley, 15-Natalia Staude, 3-Kate Wiesner (capt.); 20-Sophia Jones, 17-Maya Doms, 24-Croix Bethune; 16-Payton Linnehan (2-Makenna Morris, 71), 18-Sunshine Fontes (13-Isabella D’Aquila, 69), 9-Jordan Canniff
Subs not used: 5-Tori Hansen, 6-Astrid Wheeler, 7-Samantha Meza, 8-Diana Ordonez, 10-Mia Fishel, 11-Sam Kroeger, 12-Cayla White
Head Coach: Mark Carr 

ARG: 1-Canila Aballay, 2-Aldana Navarez, 3-Carla Gramajo (21-Melanie Toralei, 55), 4-Stephanie Melgarejo (20-Carla Lescano, 61), 5-Agustina Vargas, 6-Milagros Otazu, 7-Agustina Arias (Brisa Galeano, 65), 8-Maricel Pereyra (19-Agostina Holzlieier, 46), 9- Ayelen Acuña (16-Narylyn Targhetta, 56), 10-Dalila Ippolito, 11-Rocio Vazquez
Subs not used: 12-Laura Rivarcla, 13-Maylen Macarrof, 14-Bruisa Galeano, 15-Citiara Singarella, 17-Sofía Juares, 18-Estefania Palomar, 22-Marcela Figueroa
Head Coach: Carlos Borello

Stats Summary: USA / ARG
Shots: 17 / 5
Shots on Goal: 12 / 4
Saves: 3 / 3
Corner Kicks: 6 / 0
Fouls: 6 / 5
Offside: 2 / 1

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Kennedy Wesley (caution)                  22^th minute
USA – Talia DellaPeruta (caution)                 46