U.S. Wins Group B with 6-0 Win against Host Panama in CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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The U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team won Group B of the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship with a 6-0 victory on Wednesday against host Panama at the Stadio Rommel Fernandez. 

Maya Hayes scored two goals for a second straight match and four other U.S. players found the back of the net as the team steamrolls into the semifinals to face Mexico at 8 p.m. ET Friday, March 9, in Panama City. 

“We struggled in the first 20 minutes to get a rhythm,” said U.S. U-20 WNT head coach Steve Swanson. “I thought Panama was organized and they compete very hard. We have a lot of respect for the way the Panama team competed. It was hard for us early to break them down but I thought we had some good chances. 

“The atmosphere here was terrific. We couldn’t have asked for a better atmosphere. The fans were terrific and to get that much support all the way through the game says a lot about the country in general. From our standpoint, I think we have a great deal of respect and really appreciate the hospitality we’ve received so far.” 

Like its previous two matches – both 6-0 victories against Guatemala and Cuba – the USA dominated on the offensive side of the ball at the start of the match against Panama and got stronger as the game progressed. Defensively, the USA did not allow a single shot on goal. 

Micaela Capelle netted her first goal of the tournament in the 28th minute, striking the ball from the right side while Panama goalkeeper Anyuri Montenegro misjudged the flight. The ball clipped the underbelly of the crossbar and went into the net for a 1-0 lead. 

Vanessa DiBernardo had a productive opening half in her first start of the tournament, and she gave the USA a 2-0 cushion in the 45th minute with a shot that went throughout Panama goalkeeper Montenegro’s legs. 

The Panama goalkeeper possibly was distracted by the presence of Lindsey Horan nearby. Horan had a bevy of scoring chances throughout the first half, including a shot off the crossbar and a header that missed the target as she and two other USA players were all alone in the box on that particular play, with not a single Panama player in sight. 

But the lack of finishing those chances was a moot point in the second half as the shooting accuracy improved immensely in the second half for the U.S. 

Hayes entered off the bench after halftime to replace Horan, and she wasted little time picking up where she left off during her two-goal effort against Cuba. In addition to her two second-half goals, Hayes assisted Julie Johnston’s 53rd-minute tally, slipping the ball through the Panama defense, with Johnston putting some pace on her strike just to the right of Montenegro for a 3-0 advantage. 

Hayes spun past Panama defender Astrid Diaz in the 59th minute and beat Montenegro at the near right post for a 4-0 lead, slipping the ball past the Panama goalkeeper who was caught cheating a little bit to her right instead of covering the near post. 

Second-half sub Samantha Mewis contributed one of the more impressive scores of the match, volleying in a DiBernardo corner kick for a 5-0 lead in the 69th minute. DiBernardo delivered a perfect cross that rose over Montenegro’s outstretched arm and found Mewis on the left side of the box as she calmly volleyed the ball into the net. 

Capelle assisted Hayes’ second tally with a through ball that could have been intercepted by the Panama defense, but had the legs to get through to Hayes for a routine goal and a 6-0 lead in the 78th minute. 

U.S. goalkeeper Bryane Heaberlin did not need to make a save en route to the clean sheet. The U.S. out-shot Panama 24-0 and had a 9-0 shots on goal advantage. 

– U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team Match Report – 

Match: United States U-20 Women’s National Team vs. Panama 
Date: March 6, 2012 
Competition: 2012 CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship; Group B 
Venue: Estadio Rommel Fernandez; Panama City, Panama 
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET 
Attendance: TBA 
Weather: 77 degrees, partly cloudy 

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F 
USA              2 4 6 
PAN              0 0 0 

USA – Micaela Capelle                      28th minute 
USA – Vanessa DiBernardo                   45 
USA – Julie Johnston (Maya Hayes)          53 
USA – Maya Hayes (Samantha Mewis)          59 
USA – Samantha Mewis (Vanessa DiBernardo)  69 
USA – Maya Hayes (Micaela Capelle)         78 

Lineups: 
USA: 1-Bryane Heaberlin; 17- Olivia Brannon, 3-Cari Roccaro, 5-Kassey Kallman (capt), 19-Stephanie Amack; 16-Sarah Killion (10-Mandy Laddish, 46), 12-Vanessa DiBernardo, 8-Julie Johnston (15-Samantha Mewis, 56); 13-Micaela Capelle, 11-Lindsey Horan (20-Maya Hayes, 46), 7-Kealia Ohai 
Subs not used: 18-Abby Smith, ; 4-Crystal Dunn, 2-Mollie Pathman, 6-Morgan Brian, 14-Katie Stengel, 9-Chioma Ubogagu 
Head Coach: Steve Swanson 

PAN: 1-Anyuri Montenegro; 2-Natalia Mills, 5-Leslie Fareaux, 6-Leyda Camacho (15-Astrid Diaz, 26), 10-Marta Cox (8-Yaniska Garcia, 46), 11-Yvamara Rodriguez, 16-Katherine Gonzalez, 17-Mayra Jordan, 18-Yanis Sanjur, 19-Eymi Quintero (14-Yessenia Zorrilla, 68), 20-Karla Riley 
Subs not used: 12-Dayton Wetherby; 3-Onelys Alvarado, 7-Yerenis De Leon, 4-Yomira Sanford, 13-Margie Moreno, 9-Angela Evans 
Head Coach: Luis Tejada 

Stats Summary: USA / PAN 
Shots: 24 / 0 
Shots on Goal: 9 / 0 
Saves: 0 / 2 
Corner Kicks: 1 / 10 
Fouls: 7 / 5 
Offside: 5 / 1 

Misconduct Summary: 
PAN – Katherine Gonzalez (caution)  37th minute 
USA – Samantha Mewis (caution)      77 

Officials: 
Referee: Alondra Arellano (MEX) 
Assistant Referee 1: Lixy Enriquez (MEX) 
Assistant Referee 2: Shirley Perello (SLV) 
Fourth Official: Quetzalli Alvarado (MEX) 

ussoccer.com Woman of the Match: Vanessa DiBernardo