U.S. Women’s CP National Team Beats Netherlands 8-0 to Book Place in Intercontinental Cup Final
Braces From Cassidy Leake and Michelle Cross Push USA to Third Straight Win; USA Rounds Out Group Play Against Australia on Friday Before ParaMatildas Rematch in Saturday’s Championship Final (10 a.m. ET; IFCPF YouTube)
LOUGHBOROUGH, England (Aug. 21, 2025) – The U.S. Women’s Cerebral Palsy National Team used braces from Cassidy Leake and Michelle Cross, as well as goals from Kaia Spencer, Jesslyn Kuhnel, Janie Richardson and Joey Martin to beat the Netherlands 8-0 at Loughborough University on Thursday.
With the win, the USA has booked its place in Saturday’s Final where it will face Australia. They will get a first crack at the ParaMatiltdas as the teams round out group play on Friday (10 a.m. ET; IFCPF YouTube).
After a foul at midfield, Leake grabbed her second when her direct free kick from inside the center circle threaded through the Dutch defense and inside the left post to make it 2-0 in the ninth minute.
In the 10th minute, Kuhnel’s pressure in the attacking end helped force a turnover and the ball came to Cross at midfield. She played a quick combination with Kuhnel on the left, who played her in alone on goal and Cross made no mistake to make it 3-0.
Spencer got in on the scoring a minute later. Winning the ball at midfield, she played it back for Leake, who returned the pass to send Spencer toward goal down the left. Evading a Netherlands defender at the top of the area, Spencer advanced into the box before hitting a low effort inside the right post to take it to 4-0.
After providing two assists, Kuhnel got a goal of her own in the 14th minute. The Netherlands pushed a ball forward which Leake won at the back and played quickly toward the U.S. forward who strolled to the middle before hitting on outside of the foot effort with her which trickled inside the far post. With the goal, all four U.S. field players found the back of the net within the first 14 minutes, and Kuhnel made way for Janie Richardson two minutes later.
The USA grabbed one more goal in the 22nd minute as Spencer won the ball on the left, before threading a pass across goal to find Cross for a tap-in at the right post, giving the side a 6-0 lead heading into halftime.
It took the USA some time to find a goal in the second half, but it finally came in the 37th minute as Richardson latched on to a back pass from a Dutch defender and slotted past Gramberg to make it 7-0.
The eighth and final goal came off a lovely piece of skill from substitute Annie Wickett. The veteran defender took the ball into the left corner to draw out two Dutch defenders, before circling back to the top of the box and finding Martin who smashed one home at the right post in the 47th minute.
With their output today, Michelle Cross (2 goals) and Jesslyn Kuhnel (1 goal, 2 assists) are tied for the team lead with six goals and nine overall goal contributions at the 2025 Intercontinental Cup.
Captain Cassidy Leake’s two goals take her team-leading career total to 17 in 12 overall appearances.
With a goal and assist, Kaia Spencer now has 29 overall goal contributions in just 10 career appearances since debuting in September 2024.
Echo Yale (two saves) and Gabby Scotto (one save) combined for a second-straight clean sheet. The USA has conceded just one goal in three matches at the Intercontinental Cup.
-U.S. WOMEN’S CP NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT-
Match: United States Women’s CP National Team vs. Netherlands
Date: Aug. 21, 2025
Head coach: Tricia Taliaferro
Substitutes: 3-Manon Brink, 4-Michella Haas, 6-Chiara van Dok, 8-Estelle Berkhout
Head coach: Vincent van der Struijf
Stats Summary: USA / NED
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