Taylor Smith Hat Trick Leads USA Past Costa Rica 10-0 and to Group A Title at the CONCACAF U-17 Women's Championship

March 14, 2010

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica (March 14, 2010) – The U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team earned its third straight blowout win at the CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championships, defeating host Costa Rica 10-0 to take first place in Group A.

The USA scored five goals in each half as forward Taylor Smith recorded a hat trick, Lindsey Horan and Morgan Brian had two goals each and Alex Doll, Kaili Torres and Jennifer Gonzalez tallied single scores.
The USA had already qualified for the semifinals after dominating victories in the first two group games and will now face the second place team from Group B – either Mexico or Canada – in the one of the semifinal matches on March 18. The winners of the two semifinals will earn berths to the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Trinidad & Tobago.
The USA will have to wait until the completion of Group B action tomorrow to find out its semifinal opponent and if it will play in the first semifinal at 6 p.m. ET (4 p.m. local) or the second at 9 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local). Costa Rica finished second in Group A and will play the first place team from Group B in the semis.
The Costa Rican fans serenaded their players with “Si Se Puede” at the beginning of the match, but it didn’t take long for it to become clear that the Americans were of a different level.
The U.S. started out playing at a blistering pace, but the lights went out in the 10th minute – literally – as three of the four banks in the stadium went dark, forcing a 30-minute delay.
Once play resumed, it only took the U.S. only about 45 seconds to open the scoring and it came courtesy Smith.
The goal came after Horan put Cari Roccaro free down right side and she crossed from almost flush on the sideline to the far post. Alex Doll got to the ball and first-timed it back into the middle, where Smith re-directed the bouncing ball with her head into the right corner.
Costa Rica was now under tremendous U.S pressure and four minutes later a clearance fell to Olivia Brannon on right wing about 20 yards in front of midfield. She settled and smacked a cross into the middle of the penalty area where Smith beat the offside trap. In alone, she brought the ball down and struck a half-volley past the Costa Rican goalkeeper Fabiola Murillo from nine yards out.
Three minutes after that, Kaysie Clark, who played an excellent match at attacking midfield, picked up the first of four assists on the night. She beat a defender on the sprint in the right side of the box, took it almost all the way to the end line and rolled a cross through the six-yard box for Doll to finish from close range.
The fourth goal came from a well-struck direct free kick by Brian after Horan was taken down just outside the penalty area, just left of the penalty arc. Brian bent her shot over the wall, off the hands of the goalkeeper and into the left side of the net.
The fifth and final goal of the half came after Brian pounded a shot at Murillo, but she could only push it away to the right. Horan was first to the rebound and turned an excellent half-volley on goal just inside the right side of the six-yard box, pounding her shot into the roof of the net.
The first goal of the second half came in the 54th minute after a nice series of give-and-goes between Smith and Clark ended with Smith blasting a shot over the goalkeeper from 25 yards out to complete her hat trick. Smith now has six goals in the tournament.
Torres, a halftime substitute, got the seventh goal after Brian slipped her a short, but precise pass into the middle of the penalty box. Torres’ first shot was blocked by a defender, but she got it back and shot over the ‘keeper and off the bottom of the crossbar. The ball bounced down and over the goal line and the assistant referee signaled for a goal.
Clark’s hustle created the eighth goal after the Murillo came out and tried to grab ball into the box, but she let it squirt away. Clark beat her to the loose ball and touched a short pass back to Horan who side-footed the ball into the net from 12 yards.
The two scores gave Horan a tournament-leading eight goals and moved her past Courtney Verloo for most goals by a U.S. player in a CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship. Verloo scored six two years ago in Trinidad & Tobago.
The ninth goal came on a breakaway from substitute Jennifer Gonzalez, who raced after a ball that had bounced past a Costa Rican defender, drove into the left side of the penalty box and bent her shot into the lower right corner. The ‘keeper got a piece of it, but couldn’t turn it outside the goal.
Brian put the USA into double figures with six minutes left on a bang-bang play off a Gonzalez cross from the right wing. Doll ran under the ball at far post and touched it first-time back to Brian who collected and slotted her shot into the left corner from 10 yards out.
Like after the USA-Haiti game on March 10, the U.S. players once again shared a nice moment with the Haitian team after the match, but this one was filled more with smiles than tears. The Haitians stayed to watch the entire U.S. game despite agonizingly losing its final match 1-0 to the Cayman Islands on a late goal.
Outside the locker rooms before both teams boarded their busses, the Americans presented the gifts they had brought to Costa Rica for the Haitian team. After a few words from head coach Kazbek Tambi, defender Olivia Brannon read a letter from the U.S. players to the Haitians that was translated into Creole.
Each U.S. player then gave a bag to their Haitian counterpart stuffed full of soccer gear, casual clothes, candy, jewelry, toiletries and sunglasses, among other items. Each U.S. player also gave each Haitian player two pairs of soccer cleats, one new and one used, generously donated by the full U.S. Women’s National Team and Nike.

The players once again exchanged hugs and the U.S. players gave the Haitians, and especially goalkeeper Alexandra Coby who had shared a touching moment with U.S. goalkeeper Bryane Heaberlin and the entire team four days ago, an ovation as they left the stadium.

Haiti’s participation in the tournament despite the tragic earthquake has been an inspiration to all the teams in the competition. To donate to the continued relief efforts in Haiti, please visit the American Red Cross’ web site.

Match: U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team vs. Costa Rica
Date: March 14, 2010
Competition: 2010 CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championships; Group A
Venue: Alejandro Morera Soto Stadium; Alajuela, Costa Rica
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. local (9:30 p.m. ET)
Attendance: 1,700
Weather: Hot, breezy – 70 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA                     5 5 10
CRC                     0 0 0
USA – Taylor Smith (Alex Doll) 11th minute.
USA – Taylor Smith (Olivia Brannon) 15
USA – Alex Doll (Kaysie Clark) 18
USA – Morgan Brian 27
USA – Lindsey Horan (Morgan Brian) 44
USA – Taylor Smith (Kaysie Clark) 54
USA – Kaili Torres 67
USA – Lindsey Horan (Kaysie Clark) 69
USA – Jennifer Gonzalez (Kaysie Clark) 78
USA – Morgan Brian (Alex Doll) 85
Lineups:
USA: 1-Bryane Heaberlin; 6-Olivia Brannon, 3-Abby Dahlkemper, 2-Jaelene Hinkle; 16-Cari Roccaro (5-Kaili Torres, 46), 11-Clarissa Wedemeyer, 10-Morgan Brian (Capt.), 8-Kaysie Clark, 7-Alex Doll; 12-Taylor Smith (19-Jennifer Gonzalez, 59), 13-Lindsey Horan (9-Havana Solaun, 82)
Subs not used: 4-Laura Liedle, 15-Isabel Farrell, 18-Abby Smith, 25-Ashley Spivey
Not Eligible: 14-Cassie Pecht, 24-Caroline Stanley
Head Coach: Kazbek Tambi

CRC: 1-Fabiola Murillo; 2-Noelle Sanz, 5-Fabiola Sanchez, 6-Karolina Duran (20-Jazmin Elizondo, 21), 7- Melissa Quesada (16-Mariana Poveda, 74), 8-Pamela Gorgona, 9-Angelica Fallas (17-Ana Cristina Lopez, 31), 10-Maria Alejandra Guevara, 12-Maria Jose Gamboa, 14-Alhyssa Villalta, 19-Maria Fernanda Moreira
Subs not used: 3-Krista Chavarria, 4-Pamela Leon, 15-Maria Brenes, 18- Maria Jose Rodriguez
Not Eligible: 11-Raquel Rodriguez Cedeño, 23-Mariela Vasquez
Head coach: Randall Chacon
Statistical Summary: USA / CRC
Shots: 29 / 1
Shots on Goal: 18 / 1
Saves: 1 / 8
Corner Kicks: 10 / 0
Fouls: 14 / 6
Offside: 0 / 0
Misconduct Summary:
None
Officials
Referee: Lucila Venegas (MEX)
Asst. Referee: Mayte Chavez (MEX)
Asst. Referee: Shauna Poirier (CAN)
Fourth Official: Michelle Pye (CAN)
ussoccer.com Woman of the Match:
Taylor Smith

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