Sophia Smith on fire as U.S. U-20 women sweep in Spain

• by Mike Woitalla  @MikeWoitalla, Apr 9, 2018

The 17-year-old Sophia Smith upped her scoring streak to six goals in four games in a 3-1 win by the U-20 World Cup-bound USA over Italy's U-23s. The Real Colorado striker scored the USA's first goal in the 22nd minute against the Italians, who had taken an 11th minute lead, and helped set up the USA's second with a back-heel pass to Izzy Rodriguez, whose 18-yard shot was blocked by Italian goalkeeper Noemi Fedele only for Abigail Kim to bury the rebound. Italy gifted the USA an own goal in the 53rd minute.

Sophia Smith

The win over Italy came in the USA's third and final game at Women’s U-23 La Manga Tournament. Smith scored the decider in a 1-0 win over England's U-20s and struck twice in a 4-1 win over Sweden's U-23.

Last month, Smith scored twice in a 2-2 tie with France in Saint-Melo, one of the 2018 U-20 World Cup (Aug. 5-24) venues.

Smith, the 2017 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year who turns 18 in September, is the youngest player on Coach Jitka Klimkova's World Cup-bound squad.

April 9 in La Manga, Spain
USA U-20 3 Italy U-23 1.
Goals: Smith 22, Kim (Rodriguez) 38, own goal (Piacezzi) 53; Piacezzi 11.
USA -- McGlynn, Pickett (McKeown, 46), Hiatt (Rodriguez, 46), Girma, Rodriguez (Brewster, 62), Torres (Coffey, 74), DeMelo, Pinto, Kim (Hocking, 74), Smith (Kuhlmann, 62), Sanchez.
Italy -- Fedele, Bursi (Merli, 46), Tortelli, Piacezzi, Mella (Ferrato, 79), Lenzini (Novellino, 59), Simonetti (Quadrelli, 53), Mascarello, Oliviero (Marinelli, 46), Piemonte, Serturini (Rognoni, 79).

April 7 in La Manga, Spain
USA U-20 1 England U-20 0.
Goal: Smith (DeMelo) 36.
USA -- Ivory; Pickett, Morse, Girma, McKeown (Rodriguez, 71); Howell, DeMelo (Pinto, 71), Villacorta (Torres, 81); Kim (Kuhlmann, 65), Smith (Hocking, 81), Turnbow (Sanchez, 46).
England -- Maclver, Fisk, Finnigan, Hinds, Patten, Rouse (Peplow, 79), Stanway, Allen, Babaiide (Charles, 46), Kelly (Pacheco, 79), Wellings.

April 5 in La Manga, Spain
USA U-20 4 Sweden U-23 1.
Goals: Smith 25, Kuhlmann (Pickett)  45, Smith 46, DeMelo (Kim) 64; Andersson 69.                             
USA -- McGlynn, Pickett, Morse, Rodriguez, McKeown (Brewster, 68), Howell, DeMelo (Coffey, 68), Pinto (Villacorta, 46), Kuhlman (Kim, 46), 3 Smith (Hocking, 68), Turnbow (Sanchez, 46).
Sweden -- Haglund, Aronsson, Pennsater (Rybrink, 46), Okvist, Stahl (De Jongh, 58), Angeldal, Blomqvist (Jansson, 73), Anvegard, Almqvist, Andersson, Curmark (Wieder, 58).

U.S. U-20 women's national team
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brooke Heinsohn (Duke; Norfolk, Mass), Laurel Ivory (Virginia; Surfside, Fla.), Amanda McGlynn (Virginia Tech; Jacksonville, Fla.).
DEFENDERS (8): Jordan Brewster (Internationals SC; North Canton, Ohio), Naomi Girma (California Thorns FC; San Jose, Calif.), Samantha Hiatt (Stanford; Newcastle, Wash.), Tara McKeown (USC; Newbury Park, Calif.), Zoe Morse (Virginia; East Lansing, Mich.), Kiara Pickett (Stanford; Santa Barbara, Calif.), Isabel Rodriguez (Ohio State; Canton, Mich.), Karina Rodriguez (UCLA; Torrance, Calif.).
MIDFIELDERS (6): Samantha Coffey (Boston College; Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.), Savannah DeMelo (USC; Bellflower, Calif.), Jaelin Howell (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.), Taylor Kornieck (Colorado; Henderson, Nev.), Brianna Pinto (NTH Tophat; Durham, NC), Viviana Villacorta (UCLA; Lawndale, Calif.).
FORWARDS (7): Penelope Hocking (So Cal Blues; Anaheim, Calif.), Abigail Kim (California; Vashon, Wash.), Civana Kuhlmann (Stanford; Littleton, Colo.), Ashley Sanchez (UCLA; Monrovia, Calif.), Sophia Smith (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.), Taryn Torres (Virginia; Frisco, Texas), Kelsey Turnbow (Santa Clara; Scottsdale, Ariz.).