MURCIA, Spain (April 16, 2026) – The U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team played a wild back-and-forth match with France in the championship game of the WU23 Friendly Finals, finally prevailing 4-3 after being down 1-0 and 3-2.
The game-winner was scored by Orlando Pride forward Seven Castain in the third minute of second-half stoppage time. Castain also nailed the game-winning penalty kick in the shootout during the semifinal win over Denmark.
The USA started a side made up entirely of NWSL players and U.S. goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz of Bay FC saved Paris FC midfielder Maeline Mendy’s penalty kick just 10 minutes into the match.
Despite Silkowitz’ early heroics, France opened the scoring in the 26th minute through Eden Le Guilly, who plays in Spain for Levante, off a corner kick that the USA failed to clear. Le Guilly pounced on the loose ball to score from seven yards out.
Five minutes later, the game was tied as U.S. pressure won the ball in France’s defensive third. Bay FC midfielder Taylor Huff played North Carolina Courage midfielder Riley Jackson into the right side of the penalty area. Jackson’s cross on the ground was kept alive from a sliding French defender by Gotham FC’s Yuna McCormack. Racing Louisville forward Sarah Weber was first to the loose ball and shot from the just above the right corner of the six-yard box into the lower left side of the net.
A foggy mist settled over the field for the remainder of the game, but that didn’t stop Angel City FC defender Evelyn Shores from scoring one of the U.S. Youth National Team goals of the year.
The chance was created through hard defensive work from Gotham FC forward Jordyn Dudley. She closed down France goalkeeper Alyssa Fernandes, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, at the top of the penalty box and momentarily won the ball. Fernandes won it back, but in trying to clear, came way outside her penalty area. Dudley then tracked back and won the ball again, this time on a slide tackle, nudging it to McCormack, who played the ball back to Shores on the left side of the field. Standing about 35 yards from the goal, Shores audaciously smacked a shot on a line that flew over the head of a French defender standing just steps in front of the goal line and into the upper left corner. It was a truly world class finish and the stranded Fernandes could only watch as the ball flew over her.
Paris FC’s Fiona Liaigre tied the match in the 58th minute on a hard shot from the right side of the penalty area that snuck under Silkowitz. France then took the lead in the 73rd minute on a far post header from FC Fluery’sShana Chossenotte and France likely thought the match was in hand.
Think again.
Jackson tied the game in the 78th minute as she ran onto a long ball behind the defense from Denver Summit defender Ayo Oke and slotted her shot into the lower left corner from 18 yards out with two defenders in tow. Then it was game on.
Jackon smashed a shot off the bottom crossbar in the 82nd minute and while Duke’s Kat Rader missed a wide-open net on the half-volley from the rebound, she would soon make amends. In the third minute of the five added, Rader squared up on her defender in the left side of the penalty box, took a touch to the inside and fired at goal. Fernandes made the save but couldn’t hold the ball on the dewy night and Castain was first to the rebound to fire home from five yards out for the game-winner.
Due to a common agreement with European teams, the countries are allowed to have up to five “overage” players on their rosters for these matches, all born within a certain number of years before the age-eligible players, which this year are players born on or after Jan. 1, 2003. The majority of players on this U.S. roster were born in 2003 and 2004, but the USA’s “overage” players were Silkowitz (2000), midfielder Huff and forward Riley Tiernan (Angel City FC), both of whom were born in 2002 and technically aged out of the U-23s this year.
-U.S. UNDER-23 WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT-
Match: United States Under-23 Women’s National Team vs. France U-23 WNT
Date: April 16, 2026
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Pinatar Arena; Murcia, Spain
Attendance: 35
Weather: 62 degrees, coastal breeze
| Scoring Summary |
1 |
2 |
F |
| USA |
2 |
2 |
4 |
| FRA |
1 |
2 |
3 |
| FRA – Eden Le Guilly | 26th minute |
| USA — Sarah Weber | 31 |
| USA — Evelyn Shores (Yuna McCormack) | 45+1 |
| FRA – Fiona Liaigre (Julie Swierot) | 58 |
| FRA – Shana Chossenotte (Oceane Picard) | 73 |
| USA — Riley Jackson (Ayo Oke) | 78 |
| USA — Seven Castain | 90+3 |
Lineups:
USA: 1-Jordan Silkowitz; 2-Ayo Oke; 4-Jayden Perry (23-Hailey Bauman, 46), 5-Leah Klenke, 3-Evelyn Shores; 6-Riley Jackson (Capt.), 8-Ally Lemos, 10-Taylor Huff (20-Seven Castain, 60); 14-Yuna McCormack (17-Kat Rader, 67); 15-Sarah Weber (16-Sarah Schupansky, 67), 18-Jordynn Dudley (11-Riley Tiernan, 46) (13-Andrea Kitahata, 90+3)
Substitutes Not Used: 7-Simone Jackson, 9-Pietra Tordin, 12-Neeku Purcell, 19-Sierra Sythe, 21-Sofia Cook 22-Hope Leyba, 24-Faith Leyba
Head Coach: Heather Dyche
FRA: 16-Alyssa Fernandes; 14-Fiona Liaigre (2-Magou Doucoure, 77), 17-Hillary Diaz, 13-Kysha Sylla (5-Celina Ould Hocine, 46), 4-Eden Le Guilly (3-Lou Bogaert, 46); 22-Julie Swierot; 8-Oceane Picard (Capt.) (11-Oceane Hurtre, 46), 12-Maeline Mendy (6-Cyrielle Blanc, 61), 19-Shana Chossenotte, 15-Laurine Hannequin; 9-Noemie Mouchon (7-Vicki Becho, 61),
Substitutes Not Used: 1-Alice Pinguet, 10-Maelys Mpome, 18-Melinda Mendy, 20-Lucie Calba, 21-Chancelle Effa Effa, 23-Elisa Gautier
Head Coach: Fabien Lefevre
Stats Summary: USA / FRA
Shots: 12 / 7
Shots on Goal: 7 / 6
Saves: 3 / 3
Corner Kicks: 5 / 3
Fouls: 4 / 7
| Misconduct Summary |
| FRA – Hillary Diaz (Caution) | 41st minute |
| USA – Ally Lemos (Caution) | 64 |
Officials:
Referee: Marina Rodriguez (ESP)
AR1: Marta Mira (ESP)
AR2: Angela Lozoya (ESP)
4th Official: Mireya Lopez (ESP)
