The U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team defeated the Chinese U-20s in a goal-fest on June 2 at Reynolds Field in Parsipany, N.J., winning, 5-3, in overtime after the match ended 3-3 in regulation time. The teams had decided to play overtime in the friendly match, if it was tied after 90 minutes, to simulate conditions at the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Championships in Russia, where both teams will be participating. The USA opens play in Group D on Aug. 18 against the DR Congo in Moscow, while China opens Group B play against Finland on Aug. 17 in Shchelkovo, a suburb of Moscow. The eight goal outburst didn’t start until the 42nd minute when China scored to make it 1-0. The USA equalized in the 56th minute through Jordan Angeli and then took the lead as the youngest player on the team, 17-year-old Casey Nogueira, tallied in the 64th minute. The USA seemingly put the game away two minutes later as Amy Rodriguez made it 3-1, but the Chinese mounted a furious comeback to tie the match. In the 84th minute, China pulled a goal back and then Nogueira inadvertently knocked the ball into her own net just three minutes from the end of the game to knot the score at three a piece.

Seventeen-year-old Kelley O’Hara got the winning goal in the 111th minute, making a run from the top of the penalty box as Tina DiMartino slipped her a pass behind the defense. With a defender on her left hip, O’Hara finished smartly into the lower left corner from six yards out.

Lauren Cheney got an insurance goal in the 117th minute making a far post run to meet a cross from Rodriguez from the left wing. The Chinese ‘keeper came out to meet her, but Cheney dribbled around her to the right and slotted the ball into the open net from a sharp angle. The two teams, both top seeds at the 2006 FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship, will meet again on June 4 at the PDA club soccer complex in Zeraphath, N.J., at 7 p.m. ET. The USA will finish the camp with a match against the reigning USL W-League champion New Jersey Wildcats on July 5 at 7 p.m., also at PDA. The 2006 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Championship, which runs from Aug. 17-Sept. 3, will feature host Russia, Australia, China and North Korea from Asia, Nigeria and DR Congo from Africa, the USA, Mexico and Canada from CONCACAF, Brazil and Argentina from South America, France, Switzerland, Germany and Finland from Europe and New Zealand from Oceania.