March 9, 2012
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By Miquel Jacobs
Assistant Media Relations Director
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina freshman Sabrina D’Angelo (Welland, Ontario) posted her fourth consecutive shutout of the tournament and sixth consecutive shutout in CONCACAF international competition in a 6-0 Canadian U-20 victory over Panama Friday night at the 2012 CONACAF Under-20 Women’s Championship held at the Estadio Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez in Panama City, Panama.
The win secures a bid for Canada for the upcoming 2012 FIFA Under-20 World Cup that will be held in Japan later this summer. It also sets up a championship final between Canada and USA this Sunday at 9 p.m. (ET) to determine the tournament champion. The two finalists are the only winners in CONCACAF U-20 history with Canada taking the titles in 2004 and 2008, and USA taking the titles in 2006 and 2010. It is the fourth time in five editions of the biennial tournament that the North American rivals will meet in the championship final.
D’Angelo, who in Monday’s win earned the distinction of being just the second goalkeeper in the 10-year history of the CONCACAF Under-20 Championships to post shutouts in all three group stage matches, remained perfect in her first career call-up to the U-20 Women’s National Team. The SEC Freshman, Goalkeeper and Co-Defensive Player of the Year has yet to allow a goal as a member of the U-20 team, but she will be tested against a USA team that has outscored opponents 22-0 in their four matches during the tournament.
The Canadians turned a 1-0 halftime advantage into a 6-0 route with five second half goals. Panama could not crack the Maple Leaf backline, giving D’Angelo little action in her fourth cap.
About D’Angelo & CONCACAF U-20 Championship
The eight-team CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship will qualify three teams to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup – the two semifinal winners and the third-place match winner. D’Angelo has previously competed for Canada at the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship where she was the starting goalkeeper for the side that won the gold medal with a 1-0 shutout win against Mexico in the final in addition to a shutout win over Team USA in the semifinal. This tournament marks D’Angelo’s first call-up to the U-20 squad, the last level on the Canadian women’s pyramid before reaching the full national team.
