Sophia Smith stretches scoring streak as U.S. U-20 women split with Brazil

• by Mike Woitalla  @MikeWoitalla, Jul 6, 2018

One month before the U-20 Women's World Cup, Sophia Smith  has scored in nine straight games, the latest coming as the USA split a pair of friendlies with fellow qualifier Brazil, during an Oregon training camp at which Coach Jitka Klimkova  made her final evaluations before settling on a 21-player squad that will compete in France (Aug. 5-24).

Sophia Smith

Smith, of Real Colorado, scored and assisted in the loss and opened the scoring in the win.

So Cal Blues' Penelope Hocking scored after coming off the bench late in the 3-2 loss and assisted on Ashley Sanchez's gamewinner after coming on at halftime. Sanchez, a rising sophomore at UCLA, also played for So Cal Blues.

The loss marked the USA's first of 2018, along with 11 wins and three ties. Smith's 13 goals of 2018 upped her U-20 total to 21.  

Klimkova brought 24 players to the camp. The USA faces faces Japan, Paraguay and Spain in Group C at the U-20 World Cup.

June 30 in Portland, Oregon
USA 3 Brazil 2. Goals: Smith 77, Hocking 93+; Victoria 9, Victoria 78, Valeria 82.
USA -- Ivory; Pickett, Girma, Hiatt, McKeown (Rodriguez, 46), DeMelo (Kim, 62), Smith, Villacorta, Howell, Sanchez (Gilroy, 62), Pinto (Hocking, 81).
Brazil -- Nicole Ramos; Monalisa (Isabella, 46) (Juliana, 84), Thais Regina, Katrine, Angelina (capt.), Karla, Geyse (Valeria 73), Victoria, Tainara, Maria (Kerolin Nicoli, 46), Ariadina (Ana Vitoria, 46).

July 3 in Beaverton, Oregon
USA 2 Brazil 1. Goals: Smith (Gilroy) 8; Sanchez (Hocking) 59; Victoria 35.
USA -- McGlynn; Girma (Rodriguez, 62), Howell (Torres, 46), Pinto, Smith (Hocking, 46), Villacorta, Spaanstra (Sanchez, 46), Picket (Fox, 74), Gilroy (Kim, 62), Rodriguez, Morse.
Brazil -- Nicole Ramos; Monalisa (Isabella, 76), Thais Regina, Katrine, Angelina, Karla (Ariadina, 66), Victoria, Brenda Woch (Geyse, 58), Kerolin Nicoli (Valeria, 66), Ana Vitoria.

U.S. U-20 women's national team (Oregon training camp)
GOALKEEPERS (3): Hillary Beall (Michigan; Laguna Beach, Calif.), Laurel Ivory (Virginia; Surfside, Fla.), Amanda McGlynn (Virginia Tech; Jacksonville, Fla.).
DEFENDERS (9): Emily Fox (North Carolina; Chapel Hill, N.C.), Naomi Girma (California Thorns FC; San Jose, Calif.), Samantha Hiatt (Stanford; Newcastle, Wash.), Tara McKeown (USC; Newbury Park, Calif.), Taylor Mitchell (Duke; Tarzana, 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 (5): Savannah DeMelo (USC; Bellflower, Calif.), Jaelin Howell (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.), Brianna Pinto (NTH Tophat; Durham, NC), Delanie Sheehan (UCLA; Brentwood, Calif.), Viviana Villacorta (UCLA; Lawndale, Calif.)
FORWARDS (7): Erin Gilroy (Tennessee; Bellmore, N.Y.), Penelope Hocking (So Cal Blues; Anaheim, Calif.), Abigail Kim (California; Vashon, Wash.), Ashley Sanchez (UCLA; Monrovia, Calif.), Sophia Smith (Real Colorado; Windsor, Colo.), Alexa Spaanstra (Virginia; Brighton, Mich.), Taryn Torres (Virginia; Frisco, Texas).