U-21 USWNT Finish First at 4 Nations Tournament
Lilleshall, England — With a record of 4-1 after a week of play at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre in Lilleshall, England, the U.S. U-21 Women's National Team finished first at the 4 Nations Tournament. The event featured U-21 teams from Belgium, England, India, and the United States. The young Junior Eagles squad went into the tournament facing tough opposition, falling by a wide margin in their first match to India, but showed growth and resilience, winning their next four matches, three decided in shootouts.
India 6 - 0 USA
The Junior Eagles started the match off with some offense, earning three penalty corners in the opening quarter. But as the game progressed, India’s strong presence on the ball made all the difference. After opening the scoring in the first frame, India continued to tally in each quarter, picking up one in the second off a penalty corner, two in the third, and a pair in the final frame to finish with a 6-0 win.
USA 1 (3) - 1 (2) India
In a tough, competitive match between two top junior teams, India was able to convert first in the second quarter on a penalty corner. In the second half, the game opened up, with USA earning five set pieces and tying the match off a penalty stroke from Reese Anetsberger (Northbrook, Ill.). In shootouts, the Junior Eagles were victorious with a 3-2 advantage.
USA 1 (4) - 1 (3) Belgium
USA's match against Belgium was back-and-forth, finishing out with another exciting shootout victory for the red, white and blue. Belgium got on the board early, within a minute of play, to take a 1-0 lead. It was not until the third quarter that USA found the equalizer, when Caitlin Connell (Paoli, Pa.) scored on a blast of a shot into the upper corner of the goal. The match was forced into shootouts, and after seemingly a stalemate, goalkeeper Emily Nicholls (Haddon Heights, N.J.) shut down Belgium's final attempt.
USA 2 - 1 England
After finding themselves with a 1-0 disadvantage at halftime, the USA squad rallied in the second half, picking up a pair of goals from Mary Adams (Andover, Mass.) off a penalty corner and Shae Wozniak (Wayne, Pa.) in open play.
England 1(0)-1(4) USA
In a back-and-forth battle between the two sides, 60 minutes was not enough time to determine a winner. Goalkeeper Nicholls had a tremendous shootout performance, stopping all five attempts from England.
