U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team falls to Japan 4-1 in final match at 4-Nations Tournament in Costa Rica
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – The U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team fell to Japan, 4-1, in its third and final match at the 4-Nations International Tournament in Costa Rica.
The USA was coming off a 3-0 victory against Mexico and a 4-0 victory against Costa Rica, but as expected, found competition a bit stiffer against the Japanese, who have excelled on the youth levels of the women’s international game recently and especially in the last five years.
The match was much more even than the score line indicated with the USA out-shooting Japan 14-13, but the Americans gave up two first half goals via bad mistakes in the back. Mallory Pugh pulled a goal back in the 28th minute, a minute after the Japanese had tallied to make it 2-0 and the teams headed into halftime at 2-1.
The young Americans chased the match in the final minutes, pushing forward in search of an equalizer and got exposed in the back, giving up two goals in the final three minutes of regulation and one minute of stoppage time.
The trip provided the young Americans with valuable experience and competition in Costa Rica, which will host the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Players born on or after Jan. 1, 1997, are age-eligible for that tournament. The U.S. U-17s will next come together for a training camp in June at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.
-U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team Match Report-
Match: U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team vs. Japan
Date: April 28, 2013
Competition: 4-Nations International Tournament
Venue: Rohemoser Stadium; San Jose, Costa Rica
Weather: 72 degrees, cloudy
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 1 0 1
JPN 2 2 4
JPN — Miho Kamogawa 21st minute
JPN — Fuka Kono 27
USA – Mallory Pugh 28
JPN — Hina Sugita 88
JPN — Rikako Kobayashi 91
Lineups:
USA: 18-Sabrina Macias; 12-Ellie Jean, 6-Alana Cook (11-Natalie Jacobs, 28), 3- Michaela Abam, 14-Tegan McGrady; 5-Marley Canales, 4-Dorian Bailey (15-Kate Morris, 69), 22- Taylor Racioppi (10-Mia Hoen-Beck, 76); 20-Kaycie Tillman (7-Mia Gyau, 57), 13-Madison Haley (25-Anika Rodriguez, 64), 17- Mallory Pugh
Substitutions Not Used: 1-Kat Hess, 2-Bridgette Andrzejewski, 8-Ella Stevens, 19-Jacey Pederson
Head coach: BJ Snow
JPN: 1-Erika Fukunaga , 15-Fuka Nagano (19-Wakaho Kanda, 67), 4-Moeka Minami (3-Maho Hashinuma, 72), 6-Nana Ichise, 2-Asato Miyagawa (16-Yo Tachibana, 90+1); 8- Miho Kamogawa,18-Mai Hirata (Mayu Kashihara, 85), 10-Hina Sugita,11-Hikaru Kitagawa (14-Narumi Miura, 46); 7-Rikako Kobayashi, 9-Fuka Kono (17-Rana Okuma, 46)
Substitutions Not Used: 5-Yuuka Kurosaki, 12-Natsumi Asano, 13-Miyu Hata, 21-Hoko Nakai
Head coach: Asako Takakura
Stats Summary: USA / JPN
Shots: 14 /13
Shots on Goal: 9 / 9
Saves: 5 / 7
Corner Kicks: 5 / 4
Fouls: 8 / 4
Offside: 3 / 4
Misconduct Summary:
USA – Marley Canales (caution) 73rd minute
Officials:
Referee: Marianela Araya (CRC)
Assistant Referee 1: Kimberly Moreira (CRC)
Assistant Referee 2: Katherine Jimenez (CRC)
Fourth Official: Ricardo Cerdas (CRC)
