CARSON, Calif - Both squads of Mike Dickey's U.S. U14 Girls National Team were on center stage here at the Nike Friendlies Saturday, and despite earning a draw and a win, both were reminded that top club players from around the country always want to do their best against the national team.

Add in the fact that they were playing two years up against U16 teams, who were also attempting to make a good showing in front of college coaches on hand, and it's clear that both the Stars and Stripes teams had a tough row to hoe.

Game 1: U.S. U14 GNT Stars 1, PDA U16 1

The first match-up pitted the Stars against a very talented PDA team from New Jersey. The GNT came out a little disorganized in the first half after coach Mike Dickey changed the lineup to start the game. PDA's midfield was working very hard and disrupting the flow of the U.S. passing game, often frustrating them and forcing them into turnovers.

Led by standout midfielder Danielle Colaprico, PDA began the game moving the ball very well and created the first scoring chance of the game. A good pass across the top of the box to Colaprico was met by an equally good shot but it was right at the U.S. goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland. PDA would go ahead 1-0 in the 15th minute of the game when 5'4 forward Stefanie Scholz finished a cross coming from the left side of the box. Scholz received the cross from Daphne Carboz, turned and placed the ball in the lower corner of the net. After the goal both teams seemed to settle down and settle their early nerves. The passing game of the U.S. began to come alive and for the next 20 minutes the game was a midfield battle with no team creating any clear opportunities. Right before halftime the U.S. got their first clear chance at goal. Pleasanton Rage winger Stephanie Amack was injecting pace into the right side of the midfield, and finally broke free and delivered a perfect ball into the 18 yard box to Colorado forward Alex Anthony whose header went just over the bar. The girls went into the half at 1-0.

After the restart Anthony would get another chance to score and she tied it up 1-1. A corner kick from the right side was finished by Anthony who fought off her defender and headed the ball in for the tying score. As the girls began to tire and the 90 degree heat began to become part of a factor, the stars of both teams began to stand out even more. The second half of the game went back and forth but there was never any real goal scoring threats until the 80th minute when PDA striker Scholz took the ball off the foot of the U.S. goalkeeper and turned to try and catch her out of position from the angle but fired her shot wide. The game ended in a 1-1 tie with both teams able to hold their heads high with good performances.

Afterward Coach Mike Dickey said he was happy overall with the girls performance considering that the are not 90-minute match fit ready as of this point into the year, noting they are ready for this physically but quite yet mentally.

"That's something that just comes with playing together more, and getting more experience at this level," he said.


Match Standouts

U.S. U14 GNT Stars

#15 Maya Theuer - Defender out of San Diego, CA. Maya is a stud in the back with the size and the pace to intimidate even the most skilled striker.

#13 Shelby Soldat - Defender out of Rockwell, TX. Shelby covers a lot of ground and is able to be a threat all game by her ability to bring the ball out of the back.

#3 Stephanie Amack - Defender out of Pleasanton, CA. Stephanie has loads of pace and is able to read the flow of the game and pick when to attack the opposition.

PDA U16s

#24 Danielle Colaprico - Forward/Midfielder. Danielle played in the center midfield and is able to control the pace of the game with her vision and great passing ability. She is also equipped with a good strong shot that she uses when she takes the set pieces.

#15 Stefanie Scholz - Forward. Good on the ball and skilled, with quick explosive moves.


Lineups

U.S. U14 GNT: GK- Katelyn Rowland, D- Stephanie Amack, F- Laura Rose, M- Morgan Andrews, M- Isabel Farrell, F- Alex Anthony, D- Olivia Jester, F- Jamie Kator, D- Laura Liedle, D- Shelby Soldat, D- Maya Theuer
Substitutes: Lucy Lara, Victoria Bruce, Lauren D'Amico, Ashley Spivey, Lauren Bernard, Morgan Ruhl, Yulie Lopez

PDA U16s: GK- Lauren Viverito, M- Sarah Fichtner, D- Carly D'Esposito, M-Daphne Corboz, M- Amanda Flugstad-Clarke, D- Morgan Kennedy, F- Kyarah Foushee, D- Kaitlin Hogman, D-Jordan Goodwin, F- Alexandra Kearns, M- Danielle Colaprico
Substitutes: Gabriella Primera, Jessica Musmanno, Kimberly Dahl, Jordan Downs, Stefanie Scholz, Katie Deturo, Marissa Madison

 

Game 2: U.S. U14 GNT Stripes 2, Sereno SC U16s 0

The heat was beginning to become a factor in the day as temperatures got into the mid 90's.
Both teams came out slow as they tried to get a feel for each others playing style.

The U.S. really wanted to get a hold of the game and control the pace right away. In the early going they moved the ball from side to side very quickly and were playing more posession then anything else. Sereno expended a lot of energy trying to slow the U.S. passing game but was unable to do so and found it difficult to find a rhythm of their own.
There were no shots in the first 30 minutes of the game until standout U.S. midfielder Ashley Meier of Strongsville, OH put her side ahead 1-0. Off the corner kick New York's Cari Roccaro shot the ball from the penalty spot where it rebounded off the bar and right onto the path of Meier who finished it with her foot to take the lead. Both teams went into halftime with much room for improvement in the second half.

The second half began with Sereno finally finding some kind of rhythm to their offense as their passes began to find each other in good positions. Despite Sereno finding a rhythm, it was the U.S. who scored the next goal to double their lead 2-0. In the 65th minute New Jersey's Brittany Ratcliffe received a pass from Cari Rocarro on the top of the 18 yard box when she fired a shot past Sereno GK Jennifer Stuart. The second goal took a lot out of the Sereno team who seemed to struggle with the pace of the game. As the game progressed the U.S. put lots of pressure on the Sereno GK with lots of goal-scoring opportunities. Ratcliffe had a shot tipped just wide by the outstretched arms of Stuart in the 80th minute. Then San Jose's Mariana Galvan came off the bench and hit the bar with a shot and had a point plank shot saved by Stuart just before the end of the game. The game ended with a comfortable 2-0 result for the GNT.

After the game Dickey mentioned that in conditions like this, it's very difficult to get the girls to play with the proper speed that is necessary to compete at the next level.
 

Dickey added that the biggest challenge for a coaching staff in this kind of camp and event setting is definitely convincing the girls to buy into the team concept and understanding their new role on a very talented team. He also mentioned that a girl's ability to adapt to her new role gives her a tremendous head start on the team.

The Nike Friendlies conclude Sunday and we will have coverage of the U15 GNT's match against  the Real Colorado U17 squad.

Standouts

U.S. U14 GNT Stripes

#3 Ashley Meier- Defensive Midfielder, who loves to get stuck in and get physical. She is also a set piece specialist with a good long range shot.

#15 Brittany Ratcliffe- Forward, Brittany plays like a bulldog, very physical and works very hard, she also likes to mix it up and play with lots of contact.

#5 Reilly Parker- Defender from Mustang SC in Danville, Calif. Reilly has lots of pace on the wing and is able to cover lots of ground very quickly and catch the opposition off guard.

 

Sereno SC

Jennifer Stuart - Goalkeeper

 
Lineups

U.S. U14 GNT Stripes: GK- Christina Sarokon, Reagan Robinshaw, Ashley Meier, Mariah Powers, Cari Roccaro, Katherine Bettinger, Miranda Freeman, Courtney Kobashigawa, Kristen McNabb, Elaina Musleh, Brittany Ratcliffe
Substitutes: Reilly Parker, Melissa Bomberger, Haley Washburn, Jana Jeffrey, Mariana Galvan, Cassandra Sternbach, Loren Reilley

 
Sereno SC: GK- Jennifer Stuart, Madison Lorenzen, McKenzie Berryhill, Nicole Hill, Bethny Park, Courteny Girk, MyKaylin Rosenquist, Nicole Zeidler, Beau Bremer, Molly Bear, Alyssa Wooden
Substitutes: Jessica Horvatich, Lauren Lazo, Jessica DeLeon, Lorielle McCluskie, Jasmine Schultz, Alexandria Gannon, Carissa Miller

 

Full U14 GNT Roster (courtesy US Soccer)

U.S. U-14 GNT - Team Stripes
GOALKEEPERS (2): Christina Sarokon (North Tonawanda, N.Y.), Cassandra Sternback (Calabasas, Calif.);
DEFENDERS (6): Melissa Bomberger (Dublin, Ohio), Miranda Freeman (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.), Courtney Kobashigawa (Mansfield, Ohio), Mariah Powers (Elk Grove, Calif.), Loren Reilley (Alloway Twp., N.J.), Reagan Robishaw (Perry, Ohio);
MIDFIELDERS (7): Katherine Bettinger (Belvedere, Calif.), Jana Jeffery (Richardson, Texas), Kristen McNabb (Montville, N.J.), Ashley Meier (Strongsville, Ohio), Reilly Parker (Danville, Calif.), Cari Roccaro (East Islip, N.Y.), Haley Washburn (Folsom, Calif.);
FORWARDS (3): Mariana Galvan (San Jose, Calif.), Elaina Musleh (Carmel, Ind.), Brittany Ratcliffe (Franklin Twp., N.J.)


U.S. U-14 GNT - Team Stars
GOALKEEPERS (2): Katelyn Rowland (Vacaville, Calif.), Morgan Ruhl (Hereford, Md.);
DEFENDERS (6): Stephanie Amack (Pleasanton, Calif.), Victoria Bruce (Cornelius, N.C.), Olivia Jester (Cincinnati, Ohio), Laura Liedle (San Diego, Calif.), Shelby Soldat (Rockwall, Texas), Maya Theuer (San Diego, Calif.);
MIDFIELDERS (5): Morgan Andrews (Milford, N.H.), Lauren Bernard (Colchester, Vt.), Isabel Farrell (Bellevue, Wash.), Lucy Lara (Como-Pickton, Texas), Ashley Spivey (Baltimore, Md.);
FORWARDS (5): Alex Anthony (Littleton, Colo.), Lauren D'Amico (Hummelstown, Pa.), Jaime Kator (Potomac, Md.), Yulie Lopez (Land O' Lakes, Fla.), Laura Rose (Cincinnati, Ohio)