U18, U20 WNTs fight to unusual 0-0 draw

U18, U20 WNTs fight to unusual 0-0 draw
April 15, 2010

Finally, an even match.

Usually, when the U18 and U20 Women’s National Teams scrimmage a local club or college team at the Home Depot Center, the results aren’t pretty. Four, five goals are the norm for Team U.S.A. when they face such weaker competition.

But Wednesday, the U18s and U20s were pitted against each other, and the result was a heavyweight bout, a war of attrition that eventually ended in a scoreless draw.  

It was a tale of two halves, with the U18s pushing forward aggressively and refusing to buckle on defense in the first half, and the U20s settling down and dominating possession in the second.

“Early on, we didn’t apply enough defensive pressure,” U20 head coach Jill Ellis said. “Whenever you play a younger team you know they’re going to get after it, and I thought the 18s did a good job.

elte girls club and womens college soccer players at a girls soccer campU18 v U20 WNTs in Carson on Wednesday.
“But our adjustments at halftime helped; we created some chances, and I thought mentally and physically we were more committed to the game in the second half.”

The two teams brought out the best in each other, and there were a number of notable individual performances on both teams.

For the U20s, center back Toni Pressley had a great physical presence and made a number of punishing tackles. She played smart and savvy and played several accurate long balls out of the back.

Fellow center back Crystal Dunn showed good recovery speed and communicated well.

Rachel Quon was outstanding as right back, displaying defensive instincts, a great first touch and the ability to distribute. She was also very effective attacking up the wing and played one excellent curling dead ball into the box.

Central midfielder Amber Brooks was tough on the tackle and shifty running with the ball. She showed quick feet, good ball skills and used superb body control to shield the ball from would-be tacklers.

Kristie Mewis and Casey Short also stood out in the midfield, combining well to generate several dangerous chances on offense. They were patient but decisive distributing the ball.

Zakiya Bywaters showed great quickness and ball-skills as she repeatedly cut through the 18s’ defense in the second half.

Christine Nairn and Sydney Leroux were relentless pressuring the 18s defense to win the ball back in the offensive third. Their energetic performance helped stop several 18s’ attacks before they could even begin. Leroux also created several chances to score by herself.

Tiffany McCarty played well with her back to the goal, using some nifty moves and her ability to turn on a dime to get some open looks at the net.
 
Bianca Henninger was solid as goalkeeper, making several nice saves and constantly barking instructions and marking assignments from her box.  

For the 18s, Meagan Morris was a terror along the right sideline. She showed deceptive speed and a knack for keeping the ball glued to her foot in top gear. She also sent several dangerous crosses into the box.

Center back Natasha Anasi was excellent, playing with great composure and toughness in the back.

Mollie Pathman showed great hustle and tackling ability on defense, but it would have been nice to see her get a bit more involved in the attack.

Amanda Laddish showed great quickness and distribution skills as well as the ability to make a hard tackle. She communicated well and was a natural leader on the field.

Arin Gilliland was solid as the 18s’ left back and matched up well against the physical forwards of the 20s. Right back Torri Allen had a good all-around performance, tracking and tackling well and playing the ball confidently out of the back.

Katie Stengel had the game’s first real chance to score after taking a nice final pass from Lindsay Elston. Stengel unleashed a shot across her body that rattled off the far post.

Courtney Proctor was never quite able to get into a rhythm, but she made up for this with great hustle and determination up front. She nearly scored on a nice second effort, but goalkeeper Bianca Henninger stepped up just in time to make the save.
 
Finally, Chioma Ubogagu was her usual speedy self, but her passing was much better than it was in Monday’s scrimmage. She excelled in her role as withdrawn forward, repeatedly luring defenders towards her before making a crisp final pass.

The 18s and 20s will wrap up their respective training camps at the end of this week, and coach Ellis will move closer to finalizing her roster for the U20 Women’s World Cup in Germany, which starts July 13.   

A tough game against the U18s was a good start, but the U20 women will need several more games like this to prepare for their real test at the World Cup this summer.


U20 WNT Roster by Position:

GOALKEEPER:
Bianca Henninger (Santa Clara; Los Gatos, Calif.)
DEFENDERS (4):
Vicki DiMartino (Boston College; Massapequa, N.Y.), Crystal Dunn (Albertson SC; Rockville Centre, N.Y.), Toni Pressley (Florida State; Melbourne, Fla.), Rachel Quon (Stanford; Lake Forrest, Ill.)
MIDFIELDERS (4): Amber Brooks (UNC(w); New Hope, Pa.), Christine Nairn (Penn State; Bowie, Md.), Sydney Leroux (UCLA; Pheonix, Ariz.), Tiffany McCarty (Florida State; Laurel, Md.)
FORWARDS (2): Zakiya Bywaters (UCLA; Las Vegas, Nev.), Kristie Mewis (Boston College; Hanson, Mass.)

U20 WNT Substitutes by Position:

GOALKEEPERS (2):
Alexa Gaul (Texas; Naperville, Ill.), Kelsey Wys (Florida State; Coral Springs, Fla.)
DEFENDERS (3): Sade Ayinde (Maryland; North Bellmore, N.Y.), Cloee Colohan (Portland; West Point, Utah), Beth West (Texas A&M(w); Centennial, Colo.)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Elizabeth Eddy (So Cal Blues, Costa Mesa, Calif.), Katy Frierson (Auburn; Birmingham, Ala.), Kayla Grimsley (South Carolina; Lakeland, Fla.), Samantha Mewis (Scorpion SC; Hanson, Mass.), Teresa Noyola (Stanford; Palo Alto, Calif.), Jenna Richmond (McLean SC; Centreville, Va.), Casey Short (Florida State; Naperville, Ill.)
FORWARDS (3): Maya Hayes (Aristics Club; West Orange, N.J.), Morgan Marlborough (Nebraska; Raymore, Mo.), Courtney Verloo (Stanford; Tualatin, Ore.)

U18 WNT Starting Lineup by Position:

GOALKEEPER:
Bryane Heaberlin (Clearwater Chargers; St. Petersburg, Fla.)
DEFENDERS (4): Torri Allen (McClean Dragons; Stafford, Va.), Arin Gilliland (Ohio Elite; Wilmore, KY), Dominique Richardson (Legends FC; Fullerton, Calif.), Natasha Anasi (Dallas Texans; Arlington, Texas)
MIDFIELDERS (4): Lindsay Elston (Crossfire Premier; Sammamish, Wash.), Amanda Laddish (Blue Valley Stars; Lee’s Summit, Mo.), Mollie Pathman (Triangle FC; Durham, N.C.), Michelle Cruz (Real So Cal; Thousand Oaks, Calif.)
FORWARDS (2): Katie Stengel (Space Coast United; West Melbourne, Fla.), Chioma Ubogagu (D’Feeters; Coppell, Texas)

U18 WNT Substitutes by Position:

GOALKEEPERS (4):
Britt Eckerstrom (FC Frederick; Boyds, Md.), Megan Kufeld (Mustang Soccer; Fremont, Calif.), Abigail Steele (Mustang Soccer; Santa Rosa, Calif.), Anna Sieloff (Vardar; Troy, Mich.)
DEFENDERS (3): Vanessa Laxgang (Eclipse; Arlington Heights, Ill.), Riliegh McHugh (Hershey Attack SC; Hummelstown, PA), Samantha Scofield (Eclipse; Geneva, Ill.), Courtney Smith (Dallas Texans; Plano, Texas)
MIDFIELDERS (3): Alexandria Crown (Florida Rush; Orlando, Fla.), Juliann Jeffrey (Dallas Texans; Richardson, Texas), Meagan Morris (Montclair Aristocats; Montclair, N.J.)
FORWARDS (2): Kealia Ohai (Utah Avalanche; Draper, Utah), Courtney Proctor (Slammers; Santa Clarita, Calif.)

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