Junior Starlets crash out of U17 World Cup after 6-1 defeat as DiMaria scores four

Kenya’s Junior Starlets have crashed out of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup after a 6-1 defeat to the United States, with Maddie DiMaria scoring four goals. (Photo: FIFA)

Kenya’s Junior Starlets have been eliminated from the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after suffering a 6-1 defeat to the United States in their second Group E match in Morocco on Thursday.

Maddie DiMaria scored four first-half goals as the Americans overwhelmed Mildred Cheche’s side, leaving Kenya without a point after two matches following their 3-0 opening defeat to China.

The result confirmed Kenya’s exit from the tournament ahead of their final group fixture against Samoa on Sunday. The Starlets will now be hoping to finish their campaign on a positive note despite having no chance of reaching the knockout stage.

DiMaria opened the scoring in the fifth minute before doubling the lead in the 22nd minute. She completed her hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 35th minute before converting another penalty in first-half stoppage time to give the United States a commanding 4-0 lead at the break.

The forward, who scored six goals in the Americans’ record-breaking 17-0 victory over Samoa in their opening match, took her tournament tally to 10 goals in just two appearances.

Her remarkable scoring run has seen her surpass the previous record of eight goals scored by a player in a single edition of the U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Kenya struggled to contain the Americans’ attacking threat, with the four first-half goals leaving Cheche’s charges facing an uphill task after the break.

The United States continued their dominance shortly after the restart, with Loradana Paletta scoring in the 48th minute to extend the lead to 5-0.

The Americans thought they had added a sixth goal in the 57th minute, but the effort was ruled out following a review after a foul on Kenyan goalkeeper Brenda Awuor.

Despite the setback, the Junior Starlets continued to battle, with goalkeeper Mishel Okoyo making important interventions to prevent further damage as the match progressed.

The United States eventually scored their sixth goal in stoppage time through Gianna Hanf, seemingly putting the result beyond doubt.

However, Kenya had the final say on the scoreboard when Lindey Weey Atieno found the net moments later to score a consolation goal and deny the Americans a clean sheet.

Lindey etched her name in Kenyan football history by becoming only the third Kenyan to score at a World Cup event.

The defeat followed Kenya’s 3-0 loss to China in their opening match, in which Xu Yue opened the scoring before Xiaotang Xu added two goals after the break.

The Junior Starlets had hoped to respond against the United States after creating opportunities against China, but their defensive difficulties and inability to convert chances into goals proved costly once again.

Their final group match against Samoa on Sunday will offer an opportunity to end their campaign on a positive note, even as their hopes of reaching the knockout stage have ended.

For the United States, the victory strengthens their position in Group E, with DiMaria emerging as one of the tournament’s standout performers after scoring 10 goals in two appearances.