U.S. U-17 Women’s National Cruises to 7-0 Win over Honduras in Final Round of Concacaf Women’s U-17 Qualifiers

COUVA, Trinidad & Tobago (April 2, 2025) – The U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team rolled to its second consecutive win in the Final Round of the Concacaf Women’s U-17 Qualifiers, downing Honduras, 7-0, as Kimmi Ascanio, Micayla Johnson, Ashlyn Anderson (two), Pearl Cecil, Riley Kennedy and Jaiden Rodriguez all scored.

With two wins and six points in two games, the USA will now await the result of the other Group C match between T&T and El Salvador. If that match ends in a draw, the USA will book its ticket to the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco as group winners with one match left to play. If there is a winner in the T&T-El Salvador match, a win or a tie for the USA against El Salvador on April 5(7 p.m. ET on Tubi) in the Group C finale will clinch a spot in the World Cup.

U.S. head coach Katie Schoepfer made seven changes to the lineup which beat host Trinidad & Tobago 3-0 on March 31, but the young Americans didn’t skip a beat.

The USA out-shot Honduras 16-1 in the first half and the towering 5-foot-10 center back Cecil smashed a shot off left post from outside the box in fourth minute. Although the Central Americans rarely got out of their own defensive half the entire game, the USA once again faced a low block filled with Honduras defenders and it took the U.S. until the 45th minute to open the scoring.

San Diego Wave FC midfielder Kimmi Ascanio got the start after not seeing action against T&T on March 31 due to playing 30 minutes for the Wave against the Orlando Pride on March 29 and then traveling to T&T. Her inclusion along with Chicago Stars forward Johnson gave the USA two professional players in the starting lineup, and it was the 17-year-old from Florida who gave the USA a lead.

It took a nice combination at the top of the penalty box to unlock the defense with Kennedy playing a nice thread pass to Anderson at the top of the penalty box. Anderson laid a first-time square pass to Ascanio, who beat a few defenders with her first touch and then poked her shot into the right corner from 12 yards out.

The USA made it 2-0 seconds into the second half, and this time it was the USA other pro, Johnson. Kennedy played a crisp pass to Johnson and into the left side of the penalty box. Johnson burst into the penalty area with an excellent first touch and slotted her shot into the right side of the net from a tough angle. Then the flood gates opened. The USA scored five goals in the first 20 minutes of the second half.

Anderson made it 3-0 in the 52nd minute after she finished her one-on-one chance from eight yards out after Johnson had lifted a pass to her over the defense.

In the 56th minute, Cecil finally got her goal after threatening opponents’ nets for a game and a half from her center back spot. It came off a corner kick from the right side that Anderson headed back to Cecil. She collected with her thigh and poked a volley under the goalkeeper and into the net to make it 4-0.

Ascanio earned a penalty kick in the 59th minute after she was taken down in left side of the box on a dribble. Johnson lined up the spot kick but saw it saved by the Honduras goalkeeper Maria Jimenez. The USA kept the ball alive in the left side of the penalty area via halftime substitute Nyanya Touray, who first had her follow-up blocked, then latched onto the rebound, beat a defender down the end line, and played a short pass back to Kennedy who smashed it home from just outside the six-yard box.

Two 2024 U-17 Women’s World Cup veterans, Jaiden Rodriguez and Scottie Antonucci, came into the game in the 61st minute and the USA kept attacking. Rodriguez scored a thunderbolt from distance in the 65th minute, smashing her shot into the upper left corner from 23-yards out straight away to make it 6-0.

Anderson made it 7-0 in the 74th minute after Antonucci raced down the left flank and bent in a cross with the outside her right foot. Jimenez got her hand on the ball, but unfortunately for her, she knocked it right into the path of Anderson who finished from close range for her second goal of the game and third of the tournament.

Additional Notes:

• The USA has now outshot its two opponents in this tournament 80-2.
• This was the second international match for this group of players together and the first U-17 international caps for defender Gracie Milam, who came on at halftime, and midfielder Riley Kennedy and goalkeeper Josie Biehl, who both started.
• The seven changes to the starting lineup from the T&T match to the Honduras match were Biehl, defender Rhiannon Mahon, midfielders Kennedy, Kimmi Ascanio and Chloe Sadler and forwards Audrey McKeen and Ashlyn Anderson.
• Micayla Johnson’s goal was her second of the tournament and fourth at the U-17 international level.
• Anderson’s goals marked second and third of the tournament and she now has three in her U-17 career.
• Ascanio’s goal was her first of the tournament and sixth of her U-17 career in her team-leading 16th cap.
• Ascanio became the first player ever to score for the USA in two consecutive Concacaf Women’s U-17 qualifying competitions.
• Cecil’s goal was her first of the tournament and the first of her U-17 career, same for Kennedy.
• The USA now has seven different goal scorers in the tournament so far -- three for Anderson, two for Johnson, and one each for Chloe Sadler, Ascanio, Kennedy, Rodriguez and Cecil.
• Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2008, are age-eligible for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. All 21 players selected by Schoepfer for this roster were born in 2008.
• For this competition, Concacaf once again changed the qualifying format for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Starting this year, the world championship for this age group will be staged annually and has been expanded from 16 to 24 nations. Instead of a qualifying tournament in which the top three Concacaf finishers advance to the U-17 Women’s World Cup, 12 teams were drawn into three groups of four teams each with the winner of each group and the best second place team qualifying for the World Cup, set for Oct. 17-Nov. 8 in Morocco.
• Seven countries have already qualified for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. In addition to host Morocco, China PR, Japan, Korea DPR and Korea Republic have qualified from Asia via nominations by the Asian Football Confederation based on results of the last three editions of AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup in Thailand in 2017 and 2019 and in Indonesia in 2024. New Zealand and Samoa have qualified from Oceania via the 2024 OFC U-16 Women’s Championship.

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

Match: U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team vs. Honduras
Date: April 2, 2025
Competition: 2025 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Qualifiers
Venue: Ato Boldon Stadium; Couva, Trinidad & Tobago
Attendance: 220
Kickoff: 4 p.m. local (4 p.m. ET)
Weather: 84 degrees, cloudy

Lineups:
USA: 12-Josie Biehl; 3-Sydney Schmidt (20-Gracie Milam, 46), 5-Natalie Chudowsky (15-Lauren Hemann, 71), 4-Pearl Cecil (Capt.), 13-Rhiannon Mahon; 8-Riley Kennedy, 7-Kimmi Ascanio (17-Jaiden Rodriguez, 61), 10-Chloe Sadler; 18-Audrey McKeen (9-Nyanya Touray, 46), 11-Micayla Johnson (16-Scottie Antonucci, 61), 14-Ashlyn Anderson
Substitutes Not Used: 1-Evan O’Steen, 2-Cali O’Neill, 6-Charlee Siria, 19-Maggie Currie, 21-Peyton Trayer
Head Coach: Kate Schoepfer

HON: 1-Maria Jimenez; 2-Yensi Ferrera, 5-Natalia Garcia (Capt.), 13-Nohemy Meza, 18-Evelin Ordoñez; 11-Kasey Chirinos, 16-Ilsy Sevilla, 19-Allanys Santos; 4-Allisson Suazo (8-Paula Ramirez, 46), 10-Alexandria Merriam (6-Stephany Mercado, 56), 17-Jazlyn Sanchez
Substitutes Not Used: 12-Mia Heyer, 21-Kimberly Rodriguez, 3-Emmy Muñoz,7-Dennise Madrid, 9-Chelsea Farmer, 15-Ashley Escalante, 20-Liz Manueles
Head Coach: Mario Abadia

Stats Summary: USA / HON
Shots: 37 / 1
Shots on Goal: 14 / 1
Saves: 1 / 7
Corner Kicks: 14 / 0
Fouls: 8 / 8
Offside: 0 / 0

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Kimmi Ascanio (Caution) 53rd minute

Officials:
Referee: Dilia Bradley (GUA)
Assistant Referee 1: Maylin Chavarria (NCA)
Assistant Referee 2: Suelle Shepperd (SUR)
Fourth Official: Marjorie Ponce (NCA)