U-20 USWNT beats St. Lucia 6-0 to reach Concacaf Championship Quarterfinals

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – The U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team rolled past St. Lucia 6-0 to advance to the quarterfinal round of the 2020 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship.

In the quarterfinal, the USA will face Canada on Wednesday, March 4 at 2 p.m. ET. Canada beat Cuba 6-0 in its Round of 16 game to advance after finishing second in Group E, setting up an earlier-than-anticipated match-up with the U.S.

In a quirk of this year’s new qualifying format, this was St. Lucia’s first match of the tournament after advancing directly to the knockout round via a pre-qualifying competition.

After sweeping through Group C play with a 3-0-0 record and a plus-24 goal difference, U.S. head coach Laura Harvey continued to rotate her starting XI, but the Americans once again got on the board early. The U.S. took the lead in the eighth minute of play when Summer Yates found Mia Fishel inside the penalty area and the forward scored her seventh goal of the tournament.

The U.S. continued to find the back of the net down the stretch, and after a St. Lucia own goal, Yates added her second assist of the game when she teed up Sierra Enge for a long-range strike in the 24th minute. Reigning U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year Brianna Pinto’s blast from 27 yards out in the 35th gave the U.S. a 4-0 lead at the break.

Some packed-in defending by St. Lucia, which often had 10 players inside its own defensive third, made things difficult for the U.S. in the second half as the score remained 4-0 until the 70th minute. In the 71^st, Harvey deployed Sophia Smith, the top pick of the 2020 NWSL College Draft, for her first appearance of the tournament. Moments later, the U.S. added to its lead as Fishel finished a through ball from Samantha Meza in the 76th for her eighth goal of the competition. Smith also had a number of chances to score before the final whistle.

In the 90th minute, Pinto capped the scoring off a direct free kick from just outside the penalty area for her second of the game. The goal was Pinto’s fifth of the tournament, the second-most on the team behind Fishel.

Next on the Schedule: The U-20 WNT faces Canada in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 4, at Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez at 2 p.m. ET.

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Goal Scoring Rundown:
USA – Mia Fishel (Summer Yates), 8th minute: Summer Yates raced down the right flank and slipped a ball behind the St. Lucia back four to Fishel, who beat her defender to the cross. Fishel took one touch and placed a right-footed shot from eight yards out to the right of St. Lucia goalkeeper Renala Francis for the opening goal of the match. USA 1, LCA 0

USA – Own Goal (Renala Francis), 14th minute: Talia DellaPeruta drove down the right wing and crossed a ball into the penalty area, finding Fishel inside the six-yard box. Fishel sent a header off the right post and it rebounded off Francis and into the back of the net for an own goal. USA 2, LCA 0

USA – Sierra Enge (Summer Yates), 24th minute: Jenna Nighswonger dribbled up the middle at the St. Lucia defense before playing a ball out wide right to Yates, who played a low, driven ball nearly from the end line to the top of the penalty area. Enge met the rolling pass with a first-time, left-footed shot, tucking her finish into the bottom left corner. USA 3, LCA 0

USA – Brianna Pinto (Alexa Spaanstra), 35th minute: Pinto made it 4-0 with a 27-yard blast from the top of the penalty area. The ball hit the underside of the crossbar at the top right corner before bouncing down into the goal. USA 4, LCA 0

USA – Mia Fishel (Samantha Meza), 76th minute: Samantha Meza played a through ball into Fishel at the top of the box. Fishel took one touch and then shaped her body well to curl a perfect shot inside the right post from 16 yards. USA 5, LCA 0

USA – Brianna Pinto, 90th minute: The final goal came off a direct free kick by Pinto as she struck a 25-yard shot under the goalkeeper and into the net in the final seconds of regulation time after earning the foul herself. USA 6, LCA

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• Mia Fishel’s eight goals are tied for the tournament lead with Jamaica’s Jody Brown.
• Sierra Enge’s goal was her first at the U-20 level.
• Ten players have scored for the USA at the 2020 Concacaf Women’s U-20. Championship: Mia Fishel (8), Brianna Pinto (5), Trinity Rodman (4), Summer Yates (3), Katelyn Duong, Sierra Enge, Shae Holmes, Rebecca Jarrett, Samantha Meza and Alexa Spaanstra.
• The U.S. has recorded a shutout in four straight games to start the tournament.
• The USA is the only team in the tournament thus far to record shutouts in its first four matches.
• The result marked the USA’s 32nd shutout all-time at this tournament and 21st time scoring five or more goals.
• With 30 goals, the USA has scored more than any other team in the tournament thus far. 

-U.S. UNDER-20 WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT-

Match: U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team vs. St. Lucia U-20 WNT
Date: February 29, 2020
Competition: 2020 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship – Round of 16
Kickoff: 4 p.m. local / 3 p.m. ET
Weather: 85 degrees, sunny

Scoring Summary:   1          2          F
USA                            4          2          6
LCA                             0          0          0

USA – Mia Fishel (Summer Yates)                 8th minute
USA – Own Goal (Renala Francis)                 14
USA – Sierra Enge (Summer Yates)              24
USA – Brianna Pinto (Alexa Spaanstra)         35
USA – Mia Fishel (Samantha Meza)              76
USA – Brianna Pinto                                       90

LINEUPS:

USA: 12-Claudia Dickey; 20-Talia DellaPeruta (11-Sophia Smith, 71), 14-Maycee Bell (2-Brianna Martinez, 50), 5-Naomi Girma (Capt.), 15-Kennedy Wesley; 4-Sierra Enge (19-Samantha Meza, 62), 6-Brianna Pinto, 10-Jenna Nighswonger; 7-Summer Yates, 9-Mia Fishel, 17-Alexa Spaanstra
Subs Not Used: 1-Julia Dohle, 3-Emily Mason, 8-Trinity Rodman, 11-Sophia Smith, 13-Shae Holmes, 16-Rebecca Jarrett, 18-Katelyn Duong

Head Coach: Laura Harvey

LCA: 1-Renala Francis (16-Kenna Lionel, 66); 3-Ketina Joseph (17-Giana Hilton, 88), 4-Racquel John, 7-Krysan St. Louis (Capt.), 9-Illana Lashley, 10-Tanika Bernard, 11-Britanya St. Prix, 12-Arnicka Louis (2-Shaqelle Charlery, 64), 13-Cassandra Shepherd, 14-Steffany Allain, 15-Tiffany Allain
Subs Not Used: 4-Xena Frederick, 6-Shakera Classe, 8-Janell Mathurin, 18-Geean Henry
Head Coach: Emmanuel Belass

Stats Summary: USA / LCA
Shots: 28 / 1
Shots on Goal: 14 / 0
Saves: 0 / 8
Corner Kicks: 12 / 0
Fouls: 8 / 8
Offside: 6 / 0

Misconduct Summary:
None

Officials:
Referee: Sandra Benitez (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Lidia Ayala (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Falone Dieurisma (HAI)
Fourth Official: Melissa Borjas Pastrana (HON)