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Cooper Leads U.S. U-20 to Concacaf Championship
3/13/2022 1:32:00 PM | Women's Soccer
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – The U.S. Under-20 Women's Youth National Team, led by Duke freshman Michelle Cooper, defeated Mexico 2-0 in the title match of the Concacaf Women's U-20 Championship on Saturday.
The victory gave the U.S. its record seventh Concacaf crown at the U-20 level. Cooper recorded what turned out to be the game-winner in the third minute of the championship match, blocking a clearance by the Mexico goalkeeper and burying it in the open net. With eight goals in six matches played, Cooper won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer and was additionally awarded the Golden Ball as top player.
With a top-three finish at the Concacaf tournament, Cooper and the U.S. earned a berth to the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, which is set for Aug. 10-28 in Costa Rica.
The Clarkston, Mich., native started the tournament strong offensively, scoring seven minutes into the U.S.'s opening match of the group stage against Nicaragua on Feb. 25. Cooper, who served as team captain throughout the tournament, was held off the scoresheet in the following game versus Puerto Rico and did not play in the group stage finale against the Dominican Republic as the U.S. had already clinched a spot in the knockout rounds.
Her firepower was on full display in the Round of 16 win over Suriname, as Cooper netted four goals in the second half including two in a three-minute span (80th minute, 82nd minute). Next up was a 6-0 victory over Haiti in the quarterfinals that saw Cooper record a goal and an assist to help the U.S. advance. The U.S. faced Puerto Rico for a second time in the semifinal and once again rolled to a dominant 7-0 win. Cooper helped get the scoring started with an assist in the 19th minute, before firing home two goals of her own in the 35th and 41st minutes to break the match open. The second tally came via a penalty attempt.
Cooper's eight goals contributed to a tournament-record 49 by the U.S., breaking its previous high mark of 40 in the 2020 qualifying tournament. The U.S. did not concede a goal throughout its seven matches.
#GoDuke
The victory gave the U.S. its record seventh Concacaf crown at the U-20 level. Cooper recorded what turned out to be the game-winner in the third minute of the championship match, blocking a clearance by the Mexico goalkeeper and burying it in the open net. With eight goals in six matches played, Cooper won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer and was additionally awarded the Golden Ball as top player.
With a top-three finish at the Concacaf tournament, Cooper and the U.S. earned a berth to the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, which is set for Aug. 10-28 in Costa Rica.
The Clarkston, Mich., native started the tournament strong offensively, scoring seven minutes into the U.S.'s opening match of the group stage against Nicaragua on Feb. 25. Cooper, who served as team captain throughout the tournament, was held off the scoresheet in the following game versus Puerto Rico and did not play in the group stage finale against the Dominican Republic as the U.S. had already clinched a spot in the knockout rounds.
Her firepower was on full display in the Round of 16 win over Suriname, as Cooper netted four goals in the second half including two in a three-minute span (80th minute, 82nd minute). Next up was a 6-0 victory over Haiti in the quarterfinals that saw Cooper record a goal and an assist to help the U.S. advance. The U.S. faced Puerto Rico for a second time in the semifinal and once again rolled to a dominant 7-0 win. Cooper helped get the scoring started with an assist in the 19th minute, before firing home two goals of her own in the 35th and 41st minutes to break the match open. The second tally came via a penalty attempt.
Cooper's eight goals contributed to a tournament-record 49 by the U.S., breaking its previous high mark of 40 in the 2020 qualifying tournament. The U.S. did not concede a goal throughout its seven matches.
#GoDuke
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F
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