MANCHESTER, England – The Girls Academy International Select Team closed out its inaugural international tour undefeated Saturday, defeating Manchester United, 7-2, in the final match of the United Kingdom trip.
Olivia Jones recorded the first shot on goal of the match before opening the scoring in the 15th minute. Gabriella Hollins provided the assist as Jones gave the Select Team an early 1-0 advantage.
Girls Academy added to its lead in the 37th minute when Brianna First found the back of the net off an assist from Harkin Brown to make it 2-0, sending the Select Team into halftime with a two-goal advantage.
The Select Team wasted little time adding to its lead after the break, as Anna Schaedler scored in the 42nd minute off an assist from Hollins to extend the advantage to 3-0.
Manchester United responded in the 46th minute to cut the deficit to 3-1, but the Select Team answered almost immediately. Gianna Mazotas scored in the 47th minute off an assist from Schaedler before Aniah Zembrodt added another just 35 seconds later, with Hollins providing her third assist of the match, to push the GA advantage to 5-1.
Manchester United added its second goal in the 53rd minute, but Girls Academy continued to create opportunities going forward. Harper St. James scored in the 68th minute off another assist from Hollins before finding the back of the net again in the 74th minute to close out the scoring and secure the 7-2 victory.
The Select Team finished with 12 shots on goal, led by three each from Jones, Zoey Montgomery and St. James. Hollins added two shots on goal to go along with four assists, while Mazotas also registered a shot on target.
“We were outstanding in our second match today against Manchester United, dominating the game from the first whistle,” coach Octavia Saunders said. “We asked the girls to play at a consistently high tempo, and they stepped up brilliantly. The chemistry within the group has taken strides throughout the week and really showed in their communication, combinations and awareness of each other’s movement as they picked United apart. They played some excellent soccer, combining creativity and sharp ball movement with flair. It was fun to watch.”
Six different players found the back of the net in the victory, with St. James scoring twice. Hollins led the distribution with four assists as Girls Academy completed its historic inaugural international tour with a perfect 3-0 record.
The Select Team opened the tour with a 4-1 victory over Manchester City before earning a 2-0 shutout against Celtic and closing the trip with Saturday’s 7-2 victory over Manchester United. Across the three matches, Girls Academy outscored its opponents 13-3 to finish its first international tour undefeated.