BRADENTON, Florida – It is not every day that a player scores a goal in a CONCACAF Championship, and it’s certainly not every day that a player scores a goal in a CONCACAF Championship final in the second half of a comeback win over one of its biggest rivals.
But such was the opportunity presented to Maya Doms of the United States, whose curling left-footed shot in the 76’ minute gave the U.S. a 3-2 win over Mexico in the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship Final.
It’s a shot she’ll likely never forget.
“It felt amazing to put us on top and get us a win in the championship,” said Doms in a post-match interview with CONCACAF.com
“This is just the start. Now we have to make our way through the group stages of the World Cup in Uruguay,” added Doms.
There was no shortage of drama for the U.S. in the CWU17.
In the semifinals versus Haiti, the U.S. found itself down 1-0, but then scored three unanswered goals to eventually earn a spot in the 2018 Under-17 Women’s World Cup with a 3-2 win.
Two days later in the final, the U.S. was once again on the ropes, staring at 1-0 and 2-1 deficits against El Tricolor.
But again the character of the U.S. team rose to the surface and it claimed the 3-2 victory thanks in part to Doms’ timely strike.
“We faced adversity in being down against Haiti and being down against Mexico but we knew if we stuck to our principles we could accomplish what we came here to do,” said Doms.
The U.S. team will now begin preparing for the World Cup this November and already the anticipation is building among Doms and her teammates.
“I’m excited for the team and we can’t wait to get started,” concluded Doms.
