U.S. U-17 Women’s Youth National Team Rolls Past Curaçao 11-0 In Round Of 16 At World Cup Qualifying In The Dominican Republic

SAN CRISTÓBAL, Dominican Republic (April 30, 2022) – The U.S. U-17 Women’s Youth National Team rolled past a vastly overmatched Curaçao, 11-0, in the Round of 16 at the 2022 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship and now will face the winner of Jamaica-Cuba in the quarterfinal round at the qualifying tournament for the 2022 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup. The USA scored six goals in the first half and five in the second as six different players found the net, including hat tricks from forwards Onyeka Gamero and Nicollette Kiorpes.

 

The USA’s quarterfinal (Jamaica and Cuba meet on May 1) will take place on May 4 at Estadio Panamericano in San Cristóbal at 4 p.m. ET (Fox Soccer Plus and the ViX App in Spanish).

 

A U.S. goal after just 23 seconds from Gamero signaled it would be a long afternoon for Curaçao, which qualified directly to the Round of 16 of this tournament by winning its pre-qualifying group and thus went one game and done in this competition. Kiorpes scored her first of the game in the seventh minute on a spectacular close-range finish with her heel and played provider on the third goal to forward Melina Rebimbas in the 11^th.

 

Gamero’s goal after 23 seconds was the fastest ever in tournament history for the USA.

 

The USA then tacked on three more before halftime as midfielder Lauren Martinho’s strike from distance slipped through the goalkeeper’s hands in the 29^th minute. Midfielder and captain Mia Bhuta gave the ‘keeper no chance to make a save with a sizzling shot from 25 yards in 38^th and then Gamero buried a breakaway chance in the 40^th.

 

Bhuta’s goal, the first of her international career, made her the 14^th different player to score for the USA in this tournament over the first four games, tying a U.S. record for most players to score in a Concacaf U-17 qualifying tournament. All the previous tournaments were played with eight teams, and this is the first in which 20 nations are competing for the title.

 

The young Americans played an intelligent game, knocking the ball around quite a bit, especially in the second half, avoiding injuries and saving some legs for the all-important quarterfinal match to come.

 

The USA’s seventh goal came via the penalty spot after Kiorpes was hacked down in the left side of the penalty area. She took the kick herself and converted easily to kick off the second-half scoring.

 

Defender Mia Oliaro added to the list of excellent strikes from distance in this match with a rocket from 28-yards out to make it 8-0 in the 58^th and then Bhuta did her one better, striking from 34 yards to make it 9-0 in the 67^th.

 

Gamero and Kiorpes finished off their hat tricks in the 73^rd and 84^th minutes, respectively, for the final score line, which also made them the sixth and seventh U.S. players in the tournament to score three or more goals in a match, joining Rebimbas, Shae Harvey, Charlotte Kohler, Amalia Villarreal and Claire Hutton.

 

Follow the U-17 WNT throughout the tournament on ussoccer.com as well as U.S. Soccer Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

 

GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN:

 

USA – Onyeka Gamero, 1^st minute –Gamero cut inside from the right wing and then played Harvey into the box on the right side. Harvey battled Kiorpes momentarily for the ball, then dribbled to the end line and crossed on the ground into the middle. Gamero took a stab at the ball from close range and bundled it over the goal line for an opening goal after just 23 seconds. USA 1, CUW 0

 

USA – Nicollette Kiorpes (Onyeka Gamero), 7^th minute – Gamero burst into the penalty area on the right side and crossed on the ground to Kiorpes, who was making a darting run up the middle. The ball was just a little bit behind her, but no worries, she spun in the air and scored on a spectacular heel flick that stretched the net from close range. USA 2, CUW 0

 

USA – Melina Rebimbas (Nicollette Kiorpes), 11^th minute – Kiorpes got into behind the defense on a long ball into the left side of the penalty area. She dribbled at the ‘keeper, drawing her to the near post, and then unselfishly passed to Rembimbas for a wide-open tap from the doorstep. USA 3, CUW 0

 

USA – Lauren Martinho (Mia Bhuta), 29^th minute – Bhuta controlled the ball well in the middle of the field and then played a pass to Martinho on the left side, about 10 yards outside the penalty area. Martinho took a touch towards goal and then fired a left-footed shot from 23 yards that went through the hands of the goalkeeper and bounced across the goal line. USA 4, CUW 0

 

USA – Mia Bhuta, 38^th minute – Just after Curacao made two substitutes, including their goalkeeper, Bhuta latched onto a poor clearance just to the left of the penalty circle and smashed a left-footed shot into the lower right corner from 25 yards out for her first goal of the tournament. USA 5, CUW 0

 

USA – Onyeka Gamero (Shae Harvey), 40^th minute – Harvey brought a ball down well in midfield, dribbled forward and played Gamero in behind the defense on the right side. Gamero had a one-on-one chance and finished easily with a roller into the right side of the net from 10 yards out. USA 6, CUW 0

 

USA – Nicollette Kiorpes (Penalty Kick), 56^th minute – Kiorpes was cut down as she dribbled into the penalty box on the left side and stepped up to take the kick herself, rolling the ball into the net to complete her hat trick. USA 7, CUW 0

 

USA – Mia Oliaro, 58^th minute – Oliaro, playing right back today after a stint at forward last game, collected a poor clearance in the center of the field, cut to her left to beat a defender and then smashed a left-footed shot from 28 yards over the head of the goalkeeper. USA 8, CUW 0

 

USA – Mia Bhuta (Claire Hutton), 67th minute – Bhuta ran onto a back pass from Hutton and launched another banger with her left foot, this one the longest of the day as she sent a rocked from 34 yards out into the upper right corner. USA 9, CUW 0

 

USA – Onyeka Gamero, 73^rd minute – The USA got to double-figures off a corner kick as a poor headed clearance fell to Gamero who was positioned just to the right of the penalty spot. She was able to rotate her body and volley the bouncing ball into the upper right corner with her left foot from 13 yards out. USA 10, CUW 0

 

USA – Nicollette Kiorpes (Amalia Villarreal), 84^th minute – The USA won a goal kick and played a nice triangle of passes between Kiorpes, Harvey and Villarreal, who fed Kiorpes deep into the penalty area and she finished with her left foot from three yards to cap her hat trick. USA 11, CUW 0

 

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• The three goals for forward Nicollette Kiorpes gave her five for the tournament, the hat trick for Onyeka Gamero gave her four total and the one goal for forward Melina Rebimbas also upped her tournament total to four.

• Midfielder Lauren Martinho’s goal was her third of the competition.

• Gamero’s assist on Kiorpes first goal gave her five for the tournament, tying her with Taylor Suarez for the team lead.

• Mia Oliaro’s goal gave her three for the tournament.

• Abigail Gundry picked up her second shutout of the tournament in goal for the USA but did not have to make a save.

 

-U.S. Under-17 Women’s Youth National Team Match Report-

 

Match: United States Under-17 Women’s Youth National Team vs. Curaçao

Date: April 30, 2022
Competition: Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship – Round of 16

Venue: Estadio Panamericano; San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic

Attendance: 50

Kickoff: 4 p.m. ET

Weather: 79 degrees, cloudy, intermittent showers

 

Scoring Summary:   1          2          F

USA                            6          5          11                                           

CUW                           0          0          0         

 

USA – Onyeka Gamero                                              1^st minute

USA – Nicollette Kiorpes (Onyeka Gamero)              7

USA – Melina Rebimbas (Nicollette Kiorpes)            11

USA – Lauren Martinho (Mia Bhuta)                          29

USA – Mia Bhuta                                                        38

USA – Onyeka Gamero (Shae Harvey)                     40

USA – Nicollette Kiorpes (Penalty Kick)                    56

USA – Mia Oliaro                                                        58

USA – Mia Bhuta (Claire Hutton)                               67

USA – Onyeka Gamero                                              73

USA – Nicollette Kiorpes (Amalia Villarreal)              84

 

Lineups:

USA; 1-Abigail Gundry; 6-Mia Oliaro (20-Gisele Thompson, 62), 4-Cameron Roller, 5-Keegan Schmeiser, 3-Savannah King (2-Nicola Fraser, 62); 10-Mia Bhuta (Capt.), 19-Lauren Martinho (13-Claire Hutton, 62), 15-Shae Harvey; 18-Onyeka Gamero, 14-Melina Rebimbas (16-Amalia Villarreal, 46), 11-Nicollette Kiorpes

Substitutes Not Used: 12-Victoria Safradin, 7-Riley Jackson, 8-Charlotte Kohler, 9-Taylor Suarez, 17-Alyssa Gonzalez

Head Coach: Natalia Astrain

 

CUW: 1-Julainy Thielman (12-Shoniqca Olaria, 37); 2-Deyanisha Dorcas (18-Aukje Moerdijk, 37), 6-Ludmarie Flaneur (Capt.), 3-Charnainelys Andrea (20-Gionella Calvenhoven, 77), 15-Kaaisha Constansia; 8-Hassnah Pieters, 7-Rushaviana Petronnilia; 5-Gervionna Martina (19-Queennaily Geertruida, 77), 14-Soerianieh Nucatia (17-Kishana Mathilda, 59), 10-Queenjelly Alexandre; 9-Raengelly Keller

Substitutes not used:  4-Kyra Martie, 13-Lisa Pasman, 16-Caelyn Hodge

Head coach: Reynold Maercera

 

Stats Summary: USA / CUW

Shots: 33 / 2

Shots on Goal: 18 / 0

Saves: 0 / 7

Corner Kicks: 11 / 1

Fouls: 13 / 3

Offside: 5 / 0

 

Misconduct Summary:

None

 

Officials:

Referee: Suleimy Linares (CUB)

1^st Assistant Referee: Ancie Bernadin (TCA)

2^nd Assistant Referee: Stephanie Fortin (CAN)

4^th Official: Myriam Marcotte (CAN)