LOUGHBOROUGH, England (Aug. 19, 2025) – The U.S. Women’s Cerebral Palsy (CP) National Team utilized goals from seven different players, including a second-half hat trick from Joey Martin and braces from Kaia Spencer, Jesslyn Kuhnel and Echo Yale, to earn a 12-1 win against Nepal in the team’s opening match of the 2025 IFCPF Intercontinental Cup at Loughborough University.
Idle on the first day of the five-team competition on Monday, the USA wasted little time on Matchday Two, bagging three goals in the first four minutes. Spencer tallied a first-half brace just four minutes in, sandwiched around captain Cassidy Leake’s second minute goal. Kuhnel found the back of the net in the fifth and ninth minutes, before Michelle Cross got on the score sheet in the 18th to make it 6-0 heading into halftime.
Echo Yale earned their debut by starting the match between the sticks, while Janie Richardson collected her first cap when she replaced Kuhnel just before halftime. At the start of the second half, Gabby Scotto replaced Yale in goal to become the third debutant on the day, with Yale re-entering the match as a field player later in the second frame.
WATCH: USA 12, Nepal 1
It took the USA a little time to get going in the second half, and Nepal actually tallied their first goal of the tournament as Matilda Stacey pulled one back to make 6-1 in the 34th minute.
That lone strike was the interval between another onslaught of U.S. goals, as Richardson tallied on her U.S. debut to make it 7-1 in the 38th minute. Yale followed suit with her first goal in a U.S. shirt three minutes later. Second half substitute Martin scored her first off a feed from Richardson in the 44th, before setting up Yale for their second in the 47th minute.
Yale then returned the favor twice more to Martin, feeding her second goal in the 48th, before helping her complete her hat trick with the last kick of the game in the 50th minute.
Now with a 10W-2L-2D all-time record, the CP WNT is back in action Wednesday when it faces Denmark. Kick off from Loughborough, England is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live via the IFCPF YouTube channel.
Match: United States Women’s CP National Team vs. Nepal
Date: Aug. 19, 2025
Competition: 2025 IFCPF Intercontinental Cup
Venue: Loughborough University NFL Field; Loughborough, England
Attendance: 100
Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. local (12:30 p.m. ET)
Weather: 75 degrees, cloudy
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | F |
| USA | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| NEP | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| USA – Kaia Spencer (Joey Martin) | 1st minute |
| USA – Cassidy Leake | 2 |
| USA – Kaia Spencer (Cassidy Leake) | 3 |
| USA – Jesslyn Kuhnel | 5 |
| USA – Jesslyn Kuhnel (Joey Martin) | 9 |
| USA – Michelle Cross (Kaia Spencer) | 18 |
| NEP - Matilda Stacey | 34 |
| USA – Janie Richardson | 38 |
| USA – Echo Yale | 41 |
| USA – Joey Martin (Janie Richardson) | 44 |
| USA – Echo Yale (Joey Martin) | 47 |
| USA – Joey Martin (Echo Yale) | 48 |
| USA – Joey Martin (Echo Yale) | 50 |
Lineups:
USA: 1-Echo Yale (12-Gabriella Scotto, 26); 2-Cassidy Leake (Capt.) (3-Annie Wickett, 26), 4-Michelle Cross (5-Joey Martin, 26), 8-Kaia Spencer (1-Echo Yale, 38), 10-Jesslyn Kuhnel (6-Janie Richardson, 24)
Substitutes not used: 9-Leah Glaser
Head coach: Tricia Taliaferro
NEP: 1-Nirmaya Magar; 2-Hannah Bjerland, 4-Renu Bholan, 7-Muna Shrestha, 10-Rewarti Kari
Substitutes: 3-Aine Marie Monk, 8-Matilda Stacey
Head coach: Sadiksha Malia
Stats Summary: USA / NEP
Shots: 21 / 2
Saves: 1 / 7
Corner Kicks: 3 / 0
Misconduct Summary:
none
Officials:
Referees: Charlotte and Keith Stroud