U.S. Under-23 WYNT Draws 1-1 With Ol Reign To Finish Thorns Preseason Tournament
Midfielder Croix Bethune Scores for USA in 38th Minute; Jess Fishlock Equalizes for OL Reign in 66th
PORTLAND, Oregon (March 11, 2022) – The U.S. Under-23 Women’s Youth National Team finished up its three-game run at the Thorns Preseason Tournament with a 1-1 draw against OL Reign.
The U.S. team, playing with a roster made up entirely of collegiate players, finished the friendly tournament with draws against the Chicago Red Stars (0-0) and OL Reign (1-1) and a 3-0 loss to Portland Thorns FC as USWNT forward Sophia Smith tallied a first-half hat trick.
The USA scored its first goal of the tournament in the 38th minute and it came from midfielder Croix Bethune. Midfielder Hannah Bebar played the ball wide to forward Alexa Spaanstra on the right flank where she took a touch and served the ball into the penalty box. Forward Messiah Bright made a dummy run and let the ball roll past her right to Bethune, who finished with a first-time shot.
The match was just the third for the U.S. U-23s since September 2019, with the entirety of 2020 and 2021 programming put on hold due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
With the two-year hiatus from matches, Bethune’s goal was the first for the U.S. U-23 WYNT since Jordan DiBiasi, now of the Washington Spirit, scored against Sweden in a 1-1 draw on Sept. 2, 2019 in England.
The USA played an excellent overall match, outshooting the Reign 20-15, but Reign star Jess Fishlock equalized in the 66th minute, finishing a short cross from six yards out.
The Reign started a lineup that was a mixture of established NWSL players and newer signees, giving former USWYNT goalkeepers Laurel Ivory and Claudia Dickey a half each. Ruthie Jones played in goal for the USA and allowed just one goal over her 180 minutes in the tournament.
-U.S. Under-23 Women’s Youth National Team Match Report-
Match: United States U-23 Women's National Team vs. OL Reign
Date: March 11, 2022
Competition: Thorns Preseason Tournament
Venue: Providence Park; Portland, Oregon
Attendance: N/A
Kickoff: 5 p.m. PT
Weather: 60 degrees, cloudy
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 1 0 1
RGN 0 1 1
USA – Croix Bethune (Alexa Spaanstra) 38th minute
RGN – Jess Fishlock 66
Lineups:
USA: 12-Ruthie Jones; 5-Brianna Martinez, 6-Megan Bornkamp, 4-Michela Agresti, 3-Sydney Collins (2-Kirsten Pavlisko, 63), 20-Jenna Nighswonger, 10-Croix Bethune (17-Lia Godfrey, 76), 8-Hannah Bebar, 19-Penelope Hocking (15-Anna Haddock, 91), 7-Messiah Bright (9-Ally Schlegel, 67), 11-Alexa Spaanstra (21- Payton Linnehan, 87)
Subs not used: 1-Meagan McClelland, 13-Kate Wiesner, 14-Talia Staude, 16-Cori Dyke, 18-Sophie Jones, 23-Summer Yates
Head Coach: Twila Kilgore
OL Reign: 18-Laurel Ivory (30-Claudia Dickey, 46), 11-Sofia Huerta, 17-Sam Hiatt, 3-Lauren Barnes, 14-Jimena Lopez (28-Ryanna Brown, 46), 5-Quinn (6-Angelina Costantino, 75), 22-Marley Canales (2-Nikki Stanton, 46), 10-Jess Fishlock, 55-Zsani Kajan (24-Veronica Latsko, 46), 23-Tziarra King, (7-Ally Watt, 46)
Subs not used: 4-Alana Cook, 12-Olivia Athens, 15-Megan Rapinoe, 16-Rose Lavelle, 19-Sinclaire Miramontez, 20-Alyssa Malonson, 21-Phoebe McClernon, 29-Olivia Van der Jagt, 91-Phallon Tullin-Joyce
Head Coach: Laura Harvey
Stats Summary: USA / OL REIGN
Shots: 20 / 15
Shots on Goal: 6 / 3
Saves: 2 / 5
Corner Kicks: 10 / 0
Fouls: 6 / 4
Offside: 2 / 2
Misconduct Summary:
USA – Jenna Nighswonger (Caution) 51st minute
Officials:
Referee: Karen Callado (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: CJ Koll (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Ryan Jung (USA)
Fourth Official: Laura Rodriguez (USA)