The U.S. U20 Women’s National Team rolled to an opening day 6-0 victory over Nicaragua at the 2022 Concacaf U20 Championship. It was the first game of group play for both teams. USA dominated the play from the start, and finished the opening half with 80% of the possession along with a 3-0 lead. 

Olivia Moultire, Michelle Cooper, and Simone Jackson all scored within the first 20 minutes to set USA off to a big advantage in the half. Moultrie’s opener came within the first two minutes of the game. Alyssa Thompson’s entry pass was deflected into the path of Cooper. The Duke forward hit a great shot with her left foot that required a diving save from the Nicaragua goalkeeper. Moultrie finished the rebound. 

Cooper doubled the lead in the seventh minute with a goal of her own. Talia DellaPeruta split the lines with a vertical pass into Emily Colton, who flicked it past the defense and sent Cooper in behind. The forward took a touch past the goalkeeper and finished into the empty net. 

Jackson capped the scoring in the opening half. Center back Emily Mason played the pass into Jackson’s feet and the forward took a touch inside then ripped a screamer past the goalkeeper, in a sequence that looked like something off the training ground.

USA made three changes at half with Ayo Oke, Alexis Missimo, and Andrea Kitahata coming on for Laney Rouse, Colton, and Cooper. 

Kitahata scored twice in the second half to put the game away. Her first goal came in the 50th minute when she got on the end of a cross from Oke. The goalkeeper came off her line to punch the cross away from Thompson. Kitahata calmly finished into the empty net. 

Oke was the provider again on the second goal for Kitahata as her floated ball found the forward’s head for a flicked on ball that lobbed over the goalkeeper and into the net. 

USA added one more goal late through center back Aidan McConnell. Missimo’s delivery on a set piece found DellaPeruta. Her shot was blocked. McConnell knocked home the rebound for the final goal of the game. 

With the top three teams from each group advancing to the next round, the comfortable opening day win was likely enough to seal a spot in the knock-out round already for USA. However, this squad looks too deep to think about slowing down even with three games in five days through the group play stage. Friday’s opener was an exciting preview for what this group is capable of when the squad is clicking. 

USA XI: Mia Justus; Laney Rouse, Emily Mason, Aidan McConnell, Samar Guidry; Talia DellaPeruta, Emily Colton, Olivia Moultrie; Simone Jackson, Michelle Cooper, Alyssa Thompson

Subs: Ayo Oke, Alexis Missimo, Andrea Kitahata, Sally Menti, Trinity Byars 

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