Jessica Tsao |
PORTLAND, Ore. --- The United State’s Under-23 Women’s National Team defeated the Portland Pilots 7-1 Friday night in an exhibition soccer game at Merlo Field at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex. The U23’s took a 3-1 lead into the locker room before adding four more goals after the break.
Freshman Jessica Tsao had Portland’s only tally of the night with a goal in the 29th minute. With UP trailing 2-0, sophomore Janelle Jacka gained possession on the left wing and made a turn towards the corner. She then sent a beautiful cross into the middle of the box where Tsao finished with a header inside the right post. The score from eight yards out made it a 2-1 match.
The U23’s scored the first of their four second-half goals in the 49th minute when Kiki Bosio capitalized off a reboun. Katie Larkin began the play with a shot that bounced off the left post right to Bosio, who easily punched it in.
Moments later, Tina DiMartino scored on a break away to make it 5-1. DiMartino, who had snuck past the defense, finished from 12 yards out.
Yael Averbuch then scored her second goal of the game with a frozen rope in the 59th minute. Larkin fed Averbuch with a short pass outside the box. Averburch went top shelf with a one-timer from 25 yards out. The U23’s then scored their seventh goal on the night on a strike from Lorraine Quinn, who had possession inside the 18-yard box to the left of the UP goal. Quinn made a move around one defender before deflecting a shot off of another defender. Quinn then punched in a goal off of her own rebound.
Despite the seven goals, Portland freshman goalkeeper Hailee DeYoung made some spectacular stops. She finished with 10 saves on the night, while the U23’s outshot UP 25-8.
In the other net, former Pilot keeper Cori Alexander played the second half in between the pipes for the U23’s, she finished with two saves, while Joanna Haig made one stop during the first 45 minutes.
The U23’s struck first with a goal in the fifth minute. Averbuch collected a loose ball outside the 18-yard box and blasted a left-footed shot towards Portland’s goal mouth. The sinking line drive was perfectly placed into the top left corner of the net, giving the U23’s a 1-nil lead.
The lead grew to 2-0 four minutes later. Katie Larkin gained possession at the top of the box, made a move to the left around two defenders and deposited a shot inside the right post.
After Portland cut the lead in half with the strike from Tsao, Katie Schoepfer re-directed a cross from Bosio towards the UP goal. DeYoung laid out to get a piece of the shot, but the ball bounced off her and trickled into the back of the net.
