ACCRINGTON, England (Dec. 1, 2025) – The U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team defeated England’s U-23 WNT, 4-2, in an entertaining match on a chilly night north of Manchester.
Kansas City Current midfielder Ally Sentnor scored her second goal in as many matches on this European tour while fellow NWSL attackers Emeri Adames, Maddie Dahlien and Sarah Weber also added goals.
Adames, the Seattle Reign winger, put the USA up before two minutes were gone off a brilliant assist from Dahlien, her teammate in Seattle. The play started when midfielder Abi Brighton picked off an England pass in the midfield, dribbled at speed to gobble up some ground and played Sentnor on the left wing. Sentnor battled with a defender to make space for her skidding cross into the penalty area that Dahlien deftly flicked with her heel into the path of the onrushing Adames, who side-stepped a defender and rolled her shot into the lower right corner from nine yards out.
In a steady rain, Dahlien got one of her own in the 42nd minute. After England kicked the ball out of the small stadium, the USA took a throw-in inside its own half on the left sideline. The ball went to Brighton and then to right back Ayo Oke, who ate up some ground before playing a thread pass to Weber, who touched it first time to Adames, who then touched it first time to Dahlien on the left side. She beat her defender to the inside with a quick dribble and looped her shot over the goalkeeper and into the right corner from the top of the penalty area.
England pulled a goal back in the 53rd minute when a tricky free kick from the right wing by Jessica Simpson skipped over the U.S. back line, skidded off the wet turf past a clearing attempt from U.S. defender Evelyn Shores and into the left side of the net past U.S. goalkeeper Neeku Purcell.
It took the USA just four minutes to respond as Weber headed a long clearance from Purcell into the path of Dahlien on the left wing. She skinned England defender Evie Rabjohn and crossed on the ground. Sentnor came sliding through the penalty area but missed the ball, which turned out to benefit the USA because Weber got on the end of the cross and tucked her first-time left-footed shot into the lower right corner from 12 yards out.
England then responded four minutes after that to cut the score to 3-2 as Keira Barry chipped Purcell from deep on the right wing on a service that might have been a cross but settled into the left side netting.
The USA finally put the game away in the 73rd minute and it was Sentnor who took a nice first-time pass from Gotham FC’s Sarah Schupansky about seven yards past the midfield line and dribbled all the way to the top of the penalty area before smacking her right-footed shot into the lower left corner from 17 yards out.
For Sentnor, who has scored at almost every level of the U.S. Women’s Youth National Teams, it was her second U-23 international goal after she scored the game-winner on Nov. 28 in the 1-0 victory over the Slovakian Women’s National Team in the first game of this two-game European set.
The roster for this trip was made up exclusively of professional players, and these U-23 international matches are another step in U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Emma Hayes’ emphasis on this age group and its importance along the player pathway to the full National Team. Scheduling more youth international matches is part of the Federation’s continued focus on the U.S. Way philosophy, which emphasizes increased programming for Youth National Teams to create more opportunities for young players to advance through the pathway to the senior National Team with the goal of representing their country at a world championship.
This was the second international match under new head coach U-23 WNT head coach Heather Dyche.
Players born in 2002 or later are age-eligible for this year’s U-23 WNT, and the roster features players from six birth years ranging from 2002 to 2006, along with one born in 2008. Dyche called up three players born in 2002, eight born in 2003, five born in 2004, two born in 2005 and one in 2006.
This was the last five U-23 WNT training camps in 2025, following domestic camps in Los Angeles, Denver and Philadelphia and an international trip to Germany during the summer. Hayes also held a “Futures Camp” last January alongside the USWNT in Florida that featured many of these players.
Additional Notes:
- The goals for Adames, Dahlien and Weber were their first at the U-23 WNT level.
- The three players on the roster who have senior National Team experience are Paris Saint-Germain FC defender Eva Gaetino (two caps), who was called up from the U-23s to the senior team roster during the October FIFA window and played against New Zealand on Oct. 29; Angel City FC defender Gisele Thompson (four caps); and Kansas City Current forward Ally Sentnor (14 caps and four goals), who is up for the FIFA Marta Award for best women’s goal of the year. She was nominated for her first career goal, which came against Colombia in the SheBelieves Cup on Feb. 20.
- Sentnor, who has seen extensive action for the senior side this year, is an example of what USWNT head coach Emma Hayes has said on numerous occasions: that some younger players may go with the U-23s at times during FIFA windows, especially if they have the opportunity to play international matches.
- One player on the roster, midfielder Sarah Schupansky, traveled to Europe after helping her club, Gotham FC, win the 2025 NWSL Championship Game on Nov. 22.
-U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team Match Report-
Date: December 1, 2025
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Wham Stadium; Accrington, England
Weather: 48 degrees, light rain
| Scoring Summary |
1 |
2 |
F |
| USA |
2 |
2 |
4 |
| SVK |
0 |
2 |
2 |
| USA – Emeri Adames (Maddie Dahlien) | 2nd minute |
| USA – Maddie Dahlien (Emeri Adames) | 43 |
| ENG – Jessica Simpson | 53 |
| USA – Sarah Weber (Maddie Dahlien) | 57 |
| ENG – Keira Barry (Lexi Potter) | 61 |
| USA – Ally Sentnor (Sarah Schupansky) | 73 |
Lineups:
USA: 1-Neeku Purcell; 3-Evelyn Shores (13-Simone Jackson, 83), 4-Jayden Perry, 5-Eva Gaetino, 18-Ayo Oke; 17-Abi Brighton (8-Ally Lemos, 64), 6-Riley Jackson (Capt.), 10-Ally Sentnor (9-Pietra Tordin, 83); 11-Maddie Dahlien (16-Sarah Schupansky, 64); 15-Sarah Weber (7-Riley Tiernan, 64), 19-Emeri Adames (14-Karlie Lema, 83)
Subs not used: 2-Gisele Thompson; 12-Liz Beardsley
Head Coach: Heather Dyche
ENG: 1-Faye Kirby; 2-Evie Rabjohn (19-Mari Ward, 78), 3-Jessica Simpson, 4-Ruby Mace (Capt.), 5-Gracie Prior, 6-Teyah Goldie, 7-Keira Barry; 8-Lexi Potter, 9-Isobel Goodwin (17-Lexi Lloyd-Smith, 85), 10-Olivia McLoughlin (15-Erica Meg Parkinson, 56), 11-Mia Enderby (20-Chloe Sarwie, 78)
Subs not used: 12-Sarah Brasero; 13-Katie Cox; 14-Lenna Gunning-Williams; 16-Hannah Silcock; 18-Cerys Brown; 22-Natalia Negri
Head Coach: Emma Coates
Stats Summary: USA / ENG
Shots: 8 / 8
Shots on Goal: 5 / 3
Saves: 1 / 1
Corner Kicks: 2 / 4
Fouls: 2 / 7
Offside: 0 / 3
| Misconduct Summary |
| USA -- Ayo Oke (Caution | 25th minute |
| ENG -- Jessica Simpson (Caution) | 45 |
Officials:
Referee: Sophie Dennington (ENG)
Assistant Referee 1: Danielle Whitworth (ENG)
Assistant Referee 2: Lolla Pollard (ENG)
Fourth Official: Julia Kings (ENG)
