LOUGHBOROUGH, England (Aug. 21, 2025) – The U.S. Women’s Cerebral Palsy National Team used braces from Cassidy Leake and Michelle Cross, as well as goals from Kaia Spencer, Jesslyn Kuhnel, Janie Richardson and Joey Martin to beat the Netherlands 8-0 at Loughborough University on Thursday.
With the win, the USA has booked its place in Saturday’s Final where it will face Australia. They will get a first crack at the ParaMatiltdas as the teams round out group play on Friday (10 a.m. ET; IFCPF YouTube).
Following a 12-1 win against Nepal and 9-0 victory against Denmark, the USA needed just over a minute to nab its first goal, with all four field players touching the ball in the build-up. It began as Cross rolled the ball in on the right for Spencer in the center circle. There, she touched it back for Leake, who took it in stride and made a penetrating run through midfield before sliding to Kuhnel on the right. Kuhnel returned the pass to Leake, who broke into the box and slotted past Netherlands ‘keeper Nikki Gramberg.
After a foul at midfield, Leake grabbed her second when her direct free kick from inside the center circle threaded through the Dutch defense and inside the left post to make it 2-0 in the ninth minute.
WATCH: USA 8, Netherlands 0
In the 10th minute, Kuhnel’s pressure in the attacking end helped force a turnover and the ball came to Cross at midfield. She played a quick combination with Kuhnel on the left, who played her in alone on goal and Cross made no mistake to make it 3-0.
Spencer got in on the scoring a minute later. Winning the ball at midfield, she played it back for Leake, who returned the pass to send Spencer toward goal down the left. Evading a Netherlands defender at the top of the area, Spencer advanced into the box before hitting a low effort inside the right post to take it to 4-0.
After providing two assists, Kuhnel got a goal of her own in the 14th minute. The Netherlands pushed a ball forward which Leake won at the back and played quickly toward the U.S. forward who strolled to the middle before hitting on outside of the foot effort with her which trickled inside the far post. With the goal, all four U.S. field players found the back of the net within the first 14 minutes, and Kuhnel made way for Janie Richardson two minutes later.
The USA grabbed one more goal in the 22nd minute as Spencer won the ball on the left, before threading a pass across goal to find Cross for a tap-in at the right post, giving the side a 6-0 lead heading into halftime.
It took the USA some time to find a goal in the second half, but it finally came in the 37th minute as Richardson latched on to a back pass from a Dutch defender and slotted past Gramberg to make it 7-0.
The eighth and final goal came off a lovely piece of skill from substitute Annie Wickett. The veteran defender took the ball into the left corner to draw out two Dutch defenders, before circling back to the top of the box and finding Martin who smashed one home at the right post in the 47th minute.
Holding a 12W-2L-1D all-time record, and now 3W-0L-0D at the 2025 IFCPF Intercontinental Cup, the CP WNT will round out the group stage when it faces Australia in a rematch of the first two IFCPF World Cup Finals on Friday, Aug. 22. The precursor to Saturday’s Intercontinental Cup Final is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET and will be broadcast live via the IFCPF YouTube channel.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Match: United States Women’s CP National Team vs. Netherlands
Date: Aug. 21, 2025
Competition: 2025 IFCPF Intercontinental Cup
Venue: Loughborough University NFL Field; Loughborough, England
Attendance: 105
Kickoff: 3 p.m. local (10 a.m. ET)
Weather: 66 degrees, cloudy
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | F |
| USA | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| NED | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| USA – Cassidy Leake (Jesslyn Kuhnel) | 2nd minute |
| USA – Cassidy Leake (free kick) | 9 |
| USA – Michelle Cross (Jesslyn Kuhnel) | 10 |
| USA – Kaia Spencer (Cassidy Leake) | 11 |
| USA – Jesslyn Kuhnel (Cassidy Leake) | 14 |
| USA – Michelle Cross (Kaia Spencer) | 22 |
| USA – Janie Richardson | 37 |
| USA – Joey Martin (Annie Wickett) | 47 |
Lineups:
USA: 1-Echo Yale (12-Gabby Scotto, 36); 2-Cassidy Leake, (Capt.) (3-Annie Wickett, 36), 4-Michelle Cross (5-Joey Martin, 26) 8-Kaia Spencer (9-Leah Glaser, 37), 10-Jesslyn Kuhnel (6-Janie Richardson, 16)
Substitutes note used: none
Head coach: Tricia Taliaferro
NED: 1-Nikki Gramberg, 5-Sharon de Haan, 7-Jara Brokking, 10-Kim Thoonsen, 14-Lyan Kas
Substitutes: 3-Manon Brink, 4-Michella Haas, 6-Chiara van Dok, 8-Estelle Berkhout
Head coach: Vincent van der Struijf
Stats Summary: USA / NED
Shots: 24 / 2
Saves: 3 (Yale 2, Scotto 1) / 15
Corner Kicks: 7 / 0
Fouls 0 / 2
Misconduct Summary:
none
Officials:
Referees: Stephanie Heck & Karen Couslon