The sledding is supposed to get tougher as you get toward the final of a major international tournament and this was the case for Jill Ellis’ U20 Women’s National Team Thursday in Guatemala.

Playing Costa Rica in the semifinal of the CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament, the squad eked out a 2-1 win over the Ticos to qualify for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, to be played later this year in Trinidad.

I thought the squad was good but not great today. One thing the match reminds me of is that even in Central America, women’s soccer is getting better and the Costa Ricans showed a lot of technical ability that helped them compete with a team that is better overall.

I thought the U.S. team looked a bit tired to be honest. In the 1st half, they weren’t terribly sharp and there were a number of times where our players seemed to be trying to run with heavy legs.

One of the 1st half exceptions to this was Kristen Mewis. The Boston College standout was lively every time she had the ball, looking to take players on or hit a killer shot or pass. If she was hitting some kind of lull after the close of the college season, there isn’t any evidence of that now, and it was fitting that she scored the match’s first goal with a well-placed header on a Rachel Quon free kick.

Quon is another one who excelled. While the Stanford fullback was another who looked a little tired at times in the opening 45 minutes, she reverted to her normal energizer bunny self, getting forward with regularity, tracking back and basically running nonstop. This player has a bright future ahead with our senior national team.

As does the fullback on the other side, Boston College’s Victoria DiMartino. Vicki also seemed a little tired in the opening half, but really sucked it up and did a lot of running on both sides of the ball as the game wore on. She defended well enough and really kept the pressure on Costa Rica with her attacking play in the closing stages of the match.

2nd half subs Zakiya Bywaters (UCLA) and Amber Brooks (North Carolina) both added some spark to the proceedings, getting involved in the attack either with 1v1 play (Bywaters) or by serving some dangerous balls into the area (Brooks). While she may have been one of the tired ones, the technical prowess of Teresa Noyola was on display with an exquisitely-taken free kick that found the back of the net to make it 2-0 for the U.S. While Costa Rica pulled a goal back on a combination of unlucky ricochets and a great finish, Noyola’s goal provided the final cushion needed for a World Cup berth.

Good marks should also go out to Penn State midfielder Christine Nairn, who continues to impress with her talents as a field general. She seems to have a little something extra in terms of a soccer brain and composure.

So job #1 is accomplished for the U20 women. A weekend match vs. Mexico might be for bragging rights, but it may be that Ellis wishes to use more of her squad in the starting lineup given the evident fatigue of some of her 1st choice players. I still think this team is as talented as the one Tony DiCicco took to a world championship in Chile 2 years ago, but there is still some work to do in putting it all together.