DUSSELDORF, Germany - April 20, 2019 - On a beautiful sunny afternoon at the Dusseldorfer Hockey Club, the U.S. U-19 Women's National Team came out in their second international tour game inspired after the lessons learns in the previous one against Germany. The objective for this match was to apply those lessons and keep learning and finding solutions throughout. Both USA and Belgium had opportunities to win the game, but in the end the deadlock wasn’t broken as the game finished at 0-0.
The first quarter began with a quick counter attack from Belgium requiring USA goalkeeper Gabrielle Barraco (Allentown, Pa.) to immediately step into the action in the cage. The quick counter attack didn’t shake the team and they calmly settled into their outlet strategy and found success many times by transferring the ball to the free side. Emma Deberdine (Millersville, Pa.) was the engine behind the dynamic build-up play with her strong receptions and smart passing. USA was able to enter the Red Panthers' circle a handful of times but wasn’t able to convert on these opportunities.
USA played a dominant second quarter with Belgium entering their circle just twice after a pressing error. On the offensive front, the red, white and blue used their speed in transition to their advantage. A strong step up in the midfield by Megan Connors (San Diego, Calif.) led to an opportunity for Kathryn Schneider (San Diego, Calif.). Both teams went into halftime scoreless.
The third quarter was mainly played on Belgium’s half. USA surrounded the Red Panthers and transferred the ball to find a way into the offensive circle. Kayla Blas (Pendleton, N.Y.) and Meghan Reese (Center Valley, Pa.) dominated the right side and found multiple circle entries. However, strong defense led to a counter attack by Belgium. This was followed by multiple attack penalty corner opportunities for the Red Panthers, but once again USA goalkeeper Barraco put on a strong performance defending her clean sheet.
The stamina of USA really showed in the fourth quarter. The team dominated the entire frame and had seven circle entries and multiple shots. Kathryn Peterson (San Diego, Calif.) came dangerously close when she ripped a reverse from half way into the circle just wide. M. Grace Wallis (Blue Bell, Pa.) also came close a few times with tips at the far post. Josie Varney (Smithfield, Maine) displayed her strength and stamina by excelling both on the defensive and offensive end of the field.
The team has been progressing throughout the week. The lessons learned from the game against Germany were applied in the game against Belgium, yet the team needs to reward themselves by scoring goals.
"We went into the game and wanted to do a few things better than we did in the game against Germany," Ole Keusgen, U-19 USWNT Head Coach. "We wanted to be smarter in our decision making with the ball and work better against the ball in the press. We achieved both goals and played a very strong game. I’m very pleased with the match, even though we weren’t good in the attacking circle. Getting an outcome will be the final piece of the puzzle in game three of our tour.”
The U.S. U-19 Women's National Team returns to action on tomorrow, Sunday, April 21, when they will face Germany's U-18 team at 5:30 a.m. ET. For more information, visit the U.S. Women’s U19 Squad Tour event page by clicking here.
