U.S.A., U.S.A. In a landslide victory the United States Women’s team ran away with the U-19 championship by a score of 21 to 8. Head coach Wendy Kridel put it best saying, “We were playing with such confidence. We knew it would be hard for them to stop us.” Australia found it most difficult in the first 12 minutes as the U.S. took a commanding 9 to 0 run sparked by the great play of midfielder Kathleen Miller.

The game started off with a face off between Shacklock and Sanford. Sanford won the draw and the US team gained possession, but quickly lost it after Jester was stripped. Aussie middie Karen Morton ran the ball up field, and Australia set up a perimeter and worked the ball around the top of the key. At this point all seemed well for the Australian team as they worked the ball to Mollison inside. She took a shot that was deflected by US born Jessica Allen. Havrilla raced down the field for a ten yard shot which was stopped by Aussie goalie Jackie Long. The US regained possession though. After a little cycling down low it was Kathleen Miller who found 6’0” Kristen Waagbo on the crease for a slam dunk goal at 25:03 of the first half.

The ensuing face off was scooped up by Miller who sprinted to the cage unimpeded and scored off the goalie’s right hip side at 24:48. This is when the U-19 championship turned into the Kathleen Miller show. She struck again at 24:07 when she faked Shacklock five yards outside the goal and pegged the upper right corner. She struck again at 22:26 scoring an unassisted goal after running from the midfield line to the goal, bouncing a shot through the goalie’s leg, giving the US a commanding 5 to 0 lead. The team went on a tear, running the score up to 7 to 0 before the Aussie’s got their first shot. Mollison was promptly stuffed by Brooke Shinaberry, who was quite quick despite her early inactivity. At 18:27 the US grabbed another face off win and quickly capitalized on it, as Krista Perlizzi found Coco Stanwick on the crease and Coco threw multiple fakes to beat a stunned Long.

It was after the 9-0 run when Australia started to show some life, they won the face off, and set up camp around the perimeter of the US. They were moving the ball well, but they just could not get anywhere near the cage. Their best chance was at 10:19 when Shacklock found middie Hallion on the crease. However, she shot the ball wide, and Australia finally got on the board when Kate Alexandra ran over Vernon. Alexandra was on her way to a clear sprint, ripping one high stick side passed an under worked Shinaberry. The US quickly struck back on a goal by Waagbu at 4:39, her third of four on the day. The US controlled the next face, but Australia was able to gain possession. .Talia Shacklock found the back of the net not once but twice scoring just two minutes apart, saving a little face as the half ended US 12, Aus 3.

The second half started out as you would assume, with the US dominating all facets of the game. However, Shacklock added a little spice to the mix by scoring her third goal of the game and beating Mollie Reese with a split dodge at 29:21. The Aussie’s thought they struck again when Carly assumed she had an easy put away, but US Keeper Murray made a crease leaping save to stop the ball. The game tilted back towards the Northern Hemisphere when at 27:04 Sanford deflected an errant pass into the Aussie’s net. The US women struck again less then a minute later when Jess Allen bounced one by Long off of a free position shot.

Australia seemed to have a fire down under when at 25:51 Kate McHarg took the ball to the net and blasted one past the US goalkeeper to bring the game within nine. For the next five minutes the game was run and gun, a style that I think favors a deeper US team. After the barnstorm the score was 18 to 6, and the US had an unconquerable lead. The team cruised into victory behind great defense and a deft offense led by Kristen Waagbo and an amazing Kathleen Miller.