CARSON, Calif. (September 22, 2007) — In what was arguably the best match of the 2007 Women’s Nike Friendlies, the U.S. Under-15 Girls’ National Team earned its second draw of the weekend in a thrilling encounter with the Dallas Texans ‘91 Girls Red. The intensely contested match ended with plenty of action but without a goal for either side. The U.S. nearly doubled the output of their opponents, outshooting the Texans 21-11, twice hitting the woodwork in the second half.

Both teams displayed fantastic pace and precision in the first half, the action swiftly moving from end to end. Each side got good looks at goal, the Texans gaining the edge on shots on goal by a 5-4 margin. They nearly took the lead in the 14th minute when a long range shot from 40 yards clanged off the crossbar. U.S. goalkeeper Nichole Downing and Texans ‘keeper Brittany Jagger kept themselves busy throughout the opening stanza, making four and three saves, respectively.

The U.S. turned up the heat in the second half, showing a willingness to shoot from distance. Two of their 13 shots were denied by the crossbar, a 25-yard shot from Samantha Mewis coming closest to breaking the deadlock. The Texans began to tire in the late stages of the game, but despite creating a plethora of opportunities, the U-15’s were forced to settle for their second draw of the weekend. In their opening match on Friday, the U.S. ended with a 3-3 draw against the U-17 Slammers FC.

U.S. Under-15 Girls' National Team Match Report

Match-up: U.S. U-15 Girls’ National Team vs. U-17 Dallas Texans
Competition: 2007 Women’s Nike Friendlies
Venue: Home Depot Center - Carson, California
Date: Sept. 22, 2007; Kickoff – 12 p.m. PT
Weather: Sunny, 68 degrees

Scoring Summary:     1    2    F
USA U-15                      0    0   0
U-17 Dallas Texans    0    0   0

Lineups:
USA: 1-Nichole Downing; 21-Megan Oyster, 22-Mollie Pathman, 13-Carrie Whigman, 25-Catherine Sessions; 23-Zuri Walker, 16-Kaitlyn Kerr, 6-Michelle Cruz, 11-Kylie Facinelli; 4-Devin Marshall, 12-Maya Hayes
Reserves: 24-Makenna Henry, 18-Anna Sieloff, 3-Mackenzie Akerfields, 5-Kaley Blades, 2-Mia Bruno, 1-Erin Dees, 10-Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick, 14-Kriana Hovington, 17-Natalia Ledezma, 9-Samantha Mewis, 20-Kealia Ohai
DAL: 0-Brittany Jagger; 14-Carson Michaelowski, 3-Lauren LaGrow, 16-Jasmine Hall, 5-Lisa Slawinski; 2-Marissa Holden, 17-Mallory Baum, 15-Kristin Cummins, 18-Chelsea Gellar; 6-Kim Castleberry, 9-Becca Rivera
Reserves: 11-Jade Babcock, 1-Meg Stewart, 21-Dria Hampton, 7-Aleena Garciamendez, 4-Caitlyn Mooney, 13-Megan Marchesano

Statistical Summary:     USA    DAL
Shots:                                   21       9
Shots on Goal:                    14       5
Saves:                                    6        9
Corner Kicks:                        4        2
Fouls:                                    15       9
Offside:                                   1        0

Misconduct Summary:
None.

Match Officials:
Referee: Jessica Baumann
AR1: Shirin Nikpour
AR2: Juan Guzman
4th: Samantha Moos