The U20 Women’s National Team got a taste of some real international competition when they faced New Zealand at the Home Depot Center Thursday afternoon.

And after rolling to a 2-0 victory, they should be hungry for more.

Coach Jill Ellis said her team still has room to improve, but it was a very good start for a group that hasn’t been together long.

“To come off the field not having conceded a goal, and creating numerous chances and scoring two really nice goals ourselves, I was very pleased,” she said.

“We can take care of the ball a bit better; we turned the ball over and gave them too many opportunities to counter. But New Zealand are a good challenge for us. They’re an athletic, counter-attacking team, and that’s what we need to get used to.”

Sydney Leroux and Courtney Verloo scored for the U.S.A., and both goals were very similar - and very pretty.

Leroux’s, in the 15th minute, came when she gathered a deflected ball in the box, dribbled in a half-circle, turned and knocked it inside the far post. Verloo followed up a deflection outside the box in the 55th minute and blasted a one-touch shot into the top right corner. On both goals, the Kiwi keeper had no chance.

New Zealand held their own for most of the game and were able to possess the ball and win some individual matchups with Team U.S.A. But despite the pressure, the U20 defense was tight and refused to buckle.

Defenders Crystal Dunn, Toni Pressley, Kendall Johnson and Rachel Quon kept their defensive shape and communicated well to thwart every New Zealand attack.

Johnson, in particular, impressed as a two-way player. She displayed strong defensive abilities and a knack for getting forward to the New Zealand goal line and whipped in a series of dangerous balls from the flank.

Central midfielders Amber Brooks and Christine Nairn displayed a great rapport, working together to provide a backbone for the American attack. However, they both still appeared more comfortable defending in a holding midfield role.

Wingers Zakiya Bywaters and Kristie Mewis were effective cutting the ball inside and distributing to the forwards. The strength of the defense allowed them to get forward and use their shiftiness to aid the attack.

Sydney Leroux was a great physical presence up top, and had New Zealand’s defense on their heels all game long. She battled the New Zealand keeper for several balls in the air, and also scored the game’s first goal, a beauty.

Victoria DiMartino was the most impressive attacker for the U20s. She was an extremely fluid runner and the ball seemed to stick to her feet as she repeatedly wove through the defense. She also fired a number of shots – both goals were the result of deflected strikes that she had taken.

Second-half substitute Courtney Verloo showed great strength, hustle, and distribution abilities up top. She won balls back in the offensive third, and her aforementioned goal was a stunner.

Tiffany McCarty fresh legs seemed to energize the U20s’ attack in the second half, and she made a number of nice cutting runs with the ball into the New Zealand box.

Jenna Richmond and Teresa Noyola combined well with one another, creating several triangle passes in a row that had New Zealand defenders biting the dust.

Casey Short was solid in the second half as right back, using her great physical presence to stymie the left side of the New Zealand attack.

And finally, goalkeeper Bianca Henninger was solid. She communicated well and made a few nice saves on hard shots, but other than that her defense was able to keep her jersey relatively clean. 

In the end, all signs pointed to a very positive outing for Team U.S.A.

A victory against another national team is always more satisfying than one against a local college or semi-pro team.

The U20s can hang their hats on this one for the night – and tomorrow, it’s back to work.

U.S. U20 Starting Lineup by Position:

GOALKEEPER: Bianca Henninger (Santa Clara; Los Gatos, Calif.)

DEFENDERS (4): Crystal Dunn (North Carolina; Rockville Centre, N.Y.), Kendall Johnson (Portland; Portland, Ore.), Toni Pressley (Florida State; Melbourne, Fla.), Rachel Quon (Stanford; Lake Forrest, Ill.)

MIDFIELDERS (4): Amber Brooks (North Carolin(w)a; New Hope, Pa.), Zakiya Bywaters (UCLA; Las Vegas, Nev.), Kristie Mewis (Boston College; Hanson, Mass.), Christine Nairn (Penn State; Bowie, Md.)

FORWARDS (2): Sydney Leroux (UCLA; Pheonix, Ariz.), Vicki DiMartino (Boston College; Massapequa, N.Y.)


Substitutes by Position:

GOALKEEPERS (2): Adrianna Franch (Oklahoma State; Salina, Kan.), Bryane Heaberlin (Clearwater Chargers; St. Petersburg, Fla.)

DEFENDERS (3): Sade Ayinde (Maryland; North Bellmore, N.Y.), Danielle Hubka (Maryland; Strongsville, Ohio), Casey Short (Florida State; Naperville, Ill.)

MIDFIELDERS (4): Kayla Grimsley (South Carolina; Lakeland, Fla.), Samantha Mewis (Scorpion SC; Hanson, Mass.), Teresa Noyola (Stanford; Palo Alto, Calif.), Jenna Richmond (UCLA; Centreville, Va.)

FORWARDS (3): Maya Hayes (Penn State; West Orange, N.J.), Tiffany McCarty (Florida State; Laurel, Md.), Courtney Verloo (Stanford; Tualatin, Ore.)