U.S. U-20 WNT dominates Haiti in second game at France Tournament

SALON-DE-PROVENC, France (Via U.S. Soccer) – The U-20 Women’s National Team rolled past Haiti 7-0 in the Tournoi Maurice Revello Sud Ladies Cup as forward Ashley Sanchez scored a hat trick, forward Sophia Smith tallied twice and forwards Penelope Hocking and Erin Gilroy scored their first U-20 international goals.

The USA will now play France, a 2-0 winner over Germany in the other match of the day, for the tournament title on Sunday, June 10.

All four teams in the round-robin tournament have qualified for the 2018 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup, making this competition a valuable dress rehearsal for group play at the World Cup, which will be held in four venues in the Brittany region of France from Aug. 5-24.

The USA and Haiti met in the semifinal of the 2018 CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship with the USA prevailing in penalty kicks (3-0) after a 1-1 tie during regulation to earn its berth to the World Cup. Haiti then upset Canada in the Third-Place match to earn its first-ever spot in a FIFA Women’s World Cup at any level.

+READ: USA sweeps Group B in Concacaf U-17 Women’s Championship

This game bared little resemblance to that qualifying match in Trinidad & Tobago last January as the USA scored early and then kept pouring in the goals.

Smith, the 2017 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year, opened the goal rush in the 13^th minute with her 17^th international goal and later added her 18th. She has now scored in six consecutive U-20 internationals.

The first goal came off a throw-in to midfielder Alexa Spaanstra who played a pass into the penalty area to Smith, who then beat a defender and slotted her shot on the ground into the left corner with her left foot.

Smith’s second came on the cusp of halftime from an Ashley Sanchez cross in the penalty box that she brought down and finished into the right corner.

Sanchez scored in the 29^th, off another cross from Spaanstra, and again in 35^th after she ran onto a long pass over the top from Jaelin Howell and finished first-time with a low shot. Sanchez finished her hat trick in first half stoppage time after taking a cross from Smith, beating a defender, and finishing with sharpness to up her U-20 international goal total to 10.

+READ U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team overpowers Germany 3-0

Sanchez’ first two goals were sandwiched around Smith scores, in the 13^th and 45^th.

The USA looked to be heading into halftime with a 3-0 lead, but then scored in the 45^th and in the first minute of stoppage for the 5-0 advantage at the break.

Hocking scored in the 50^th after she ran into a ball over the back line from Isabel Rodriguez and finished into the right corner. In the 66^th minute, Gilroy made a diagonal run to get on the end of a through ball from Sanchez and dribbled around the goalkeeper before scoring. The goals were the first at the U-20 level for Hocking and Gilroy, who scored in her first U-20 cap.

All the games are taking place at the Stade D’honneur D’athletisme in Salon-de-Provence, which is about 30 miles north of Marseille.

The USA was drawn into Group C at the upcoming World Cup and opens the tournament on Monday, Aug. 6 against Japan (1:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. local), faces Paraguay on Thursday, Aug. 9 (1:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. local) and finishes the group against Spain on Monday, Aug. 13 (7:30 a.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. local). The USA will play its first two group games at Stade Guy-Piriou in Concarneau and its third group game at Stade du Clos Gastel in Dinan/Léhon.

The 16-team field for the tournament is a strong one, featuring Mexico, the USA, Haiti, host France, England, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Ghana, Nigeria, Brazil, Paraguay, China PR, Japan, Korea PRK and New Zealand. The USA has won the tournament three times (2002, 2008, 2012), as has Germany (2004, 2010, 2014), while Korea DPR has won it twice, in 2006 and most recently in 2016.

– U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team Match Report –

Match: U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team vs. Haiti U-20 WNT
Date: June 7, 2018
Competition: Tournoi Maurice Revello Sud Ladies Cup
Venue: Stade D’honneur D’athletisme; Salon-de-Provenc, France
Weather: 68 degrees, wet
Attendance: 200

Scoring Summary:    1          2          F
USA                             5          2          7
HAI                              0          0          0

USA – Sophia Smith                                                  13th minute
USA – Ashley Sanchez (Alexa Spaanstra)                29
USA – Ashley Sanchez                                              35
USA – Sophia Smith (Ashley Sanchez)                    45
USA – Ashley Sanchez                                              45 +1
USA – Penelope Hocking (Isabel Rodriguez)            50
USA – Erin Gilroy                                                       66

USA: 1-Laurel Ivory; 2-Kiara Pickett (capt.) (13-Tara McKeown, 57), 23-Naomi Girma, 5-Zoe Morse, 3-Isabel Rodriguez, 7-Savannah DeMelo (11-Delanie Sheehan, 46), 10-Viviana Villacorta, 8-Jaelin Howell, 21-Alexa Spaanstra (6-Erin Gilroy, 64), 9-Sophia Smith (19-Penelope Hocking, 46), 20-Ashley Sanchez
Subs Not Used: Hillary Beall, Abigail Kim, Taryn Torres, Natalie Winters, Samantha Hiatt
Head Coach: Jitka Klimkova

JPN: 1-Kerly Theus; 2-Taina Gervais, 3-Naphtaline Northe, 5-Nandie Deshommes, 6-Yverline Servine (20-Zunia Desius, 76), 10-Nerilia Mondesir (capt.), 11-Roseline Eloissaint (9-Sherly Jeudy, 46), 14-Dolores Jean Thomas, 16-Wagnelda Millien, 18-Noemie Ferron, 19-Yamilee Eveillard

Stats Summary: USA / HAI
Shots: 14 / 1
Shots on Goal: 12 / 0
Saves: 0 / 5
Corner Kicks: 4 / 1
Fouls: 3 / 4
Offside: 6 / 2

Misconduct Summary:
HAI – Taina Gervais (caution)                                    33^rd minute

Officials:
Referee: Victoria Beyer (FRA)
Assistant Referee: Solenne Bartnik (FRA)
Assistant Referee: Stephanie Di Beneditto (FRA)
Fourth Official: Marius Mihai Marisca (ROU)