The USA captured first place in Group D at the 2006 U-20 Women’s World Championship with a 1-0 win over France at Moscow's Dynamo Stadium.
Virginia forward Jessica Rostedt scored the game-winner with a dipping shot from 20 yards in the 61st minute to move the Americans into the quarterfinals. They face Group C second-place finisher Germany, the 2004 U-19 world champion, on Sunday at Petrovsky Stadium in St. Petersburg. The USA-Germany clash is a rematch of the 2004 U-19s semifinals Germany won, 3-1, in Thailand.
With both the USA and France already through to the quarterfinal round, this match was to determine the order of placement within the group. With the victory, the USA has won all nine first round games it has played at FIFA youth women’s world championships and is one of just three teams in this year’s tournament, along with China and North Korea, to take maximum points from group play.
Both Germany and North Korea won their final Group C matches easily, giving the group title to North Korea, which will face France in the first game of the Aug. 27 quarterfinal doubleheader in St. Petersburg.
UCLA's Val Henderson, the third player to start in the U.S. goal in three games, came up big with saves on Bleuettes Elodie Thomis, Sabrina Belannoy and Amandine Henry.
GAME SUMMARY
Aug. 24 in Moscow
USA 1 France 0. Goal: Rostedt 61.
USA — Henderson, Heath, Dew, Krzysik, Lopez, DiMartino, Wagenfuhr (Poach, 46), Bock (Long, 58), Angeli, Cheney, Rodriguez ( Rostedt, 46).
France — Bouhaddi, Delannoy, Boulleau (Dhaou, 74), Ducher (Cordier, 42), Coudray, Huillier, Pizzala, Ben Abdelwahab, Necib, Henry (Delie, 63), Thomis.
Referee: Hong Eun Ah (South Korea).
Att.: 300.