HIRONO, Japan (Nov. 15, 2024) – The U.S. Women’s Deaf National Team utilized a brace from Emily Spreeman and goals from Sophie Post, Paris Price, Ella Wylie and Josephine Blazic to earn a 6-1 win against Japan in the first game of a two-match international friendly series on Friday. With the win, the Deaf WNT moves to 38W-0L-1D since beginning play in 2005.
Invited for the series by the Japanese Deaf Football Association to mark one year out until the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, the Deaf WNT is using the visit to get acclimated to the environment, while also giving experience to some up-and-coming players in the pool.
Still, it was two team veterans that got things going for the USA as Emily Spreeman put home a feed from Mia White in the second minute to extend her Deaf WNT scoring record to 34 goals.
Japan pulled level nine minutes later through Takagi, but the USA regained the lead as Spreeman played provider to Sophie Post for her seventh international goal in the 32nd minute to take the Deaf WNT into halftime with a 2-1 advantage.
Spreeman extended her Deaf WNT scoring record to 35 goals and tallied her eighth of the year off a feed from Paris Price in the 51st minute. Three minutes later, it was Price who found the back of the net, pouncing on a deflected corner kick to collect her second career goal and give the USA a 4-1 edge in the 54th minute.
Two debutants got in on the scoring action in the later stages of the game as Spreeman fed substitute Ella Wylie for her first goal in the 66th minute, before Josephine Blazic bagged an unassisted strike in the 80th to cap a dream debut.
In total, six players made their Deaf WNT debuts on Friday, with Wylie and Blazic joined by Chelsea Tumey, Tia LeBrecque, Melia Lenert and Alexis Jones.
The Deaf WNT will close out its 2024 schedule when it faces Japan again on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 10 p.m. ET (Sunday, Nov. 17 at noon local time).
Match: United States Women’s Deaf National Team vs. Japan
Date: November 15, 2024
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: J-Village Stadium; Hirono, Japan
Attendance: 25
Kickoff: 12 p.m. local (10 p.m. ET on November 14)
Weather: 68 degrees, windy
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | F |
| JPN | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| USA | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| USA – Emily Spreeman (Mia White) | 2nd minute |
| JPN – Takagi | 11 |
| USA – Sophie Post (Emily Spreeman) | 32 |
| USA – Emily Spreeman (Paris Price) | 51 |
| USA – Paris Price | 54 |
| USA – Ella Wylie (Emily Spreeman) | 66 |
| USA – Josephine Blazic | 80 |
Lineups:
USA: 1-Payton DeGraw; 5-Gracie Fitzgerald (Capt.), 7-Sabina Shysh (4-Chelsea Tumey, 24, 18-Faith Wylie, 80), 8-Erin Cembrale (15-Tia LaBrecque, 80), 10-Emily Spreeman (Sabina Shysh, 73), 11-Sydney Andrews, 14-Paris Price (17-Mia White, 80), 15-Tia LaBrecque (Ella Wylie, 61), 17-Mia White (Melia Lenert, 61), 18-Faith Wylie (Alexis Jones, 46), 23-Sophia Post (Josephine Blazic, 46)
Substitutes not used: 2-Giselle Larraga, 3- Mikaela Stein
Head coach: Amy Griffin
JPN: 23- Kunishima , 2- Komori, 3- Shioka, 4- Nakajima (6- Kawabata; 19- Nakata), 5- Takahashi (17- Oshima), 7- Sugimoto (24- Shoji), 9- Sakai, 10- Takagi, 11- Abe, 18- Sakakibara (13- Nishida), 22- Masuda
Substitutes not used: 1- Ito, 8- Iwabuchi, 12- Matsukawa, 14- Kujuro, 15- Noguchi, 16- Dogami, 20- Nakasone, 21- Nishido
Head coach: Yoshiki Yamamoto
Stats Summary: USA / JPN
Shots: 16 / 5
Shots on Goal: 15 / 2
Saves: 2 / 12
Corner 8 / 1
Fouls: 4 / 3
Offside: 6 / 2
Misconduct Summary:
none
Officials:
Referee: Yuji Nakamura (JPN)
AR1: Ryo Anzai (JPN)
AR2: Yoshirhiro Aso (JPN)