Girls Academy International Select Team earns 4-1 win over Manchester City U16s

MANCHESTER, England — Making history in its first-ever international match, the Girls Academy International Select Team opened its England Tour with a 4-1 victory over the Manchester City U16 Academy team on Tuesday in Manchester.

The 20-player International Select roster brings together players representing 13 Girls Academy clubs from across the country for a week of international competition, player development and exposure to one of the world’s premier football environments. The team is led by coaches Octavia Saunders, Girls Elite Director at Kings Hammer SC, and Racheal Foxley, Girls Academy Director at Nashville United Soccer Academy.

The Girls Academy struck first, as Olivia Jones opened the scoring off an assist from Angelica Alzugaray to give GA a 1-0 advantage. Manchester City responded before halftime, equalizing to send the match into the break tied at 1-1.

The Select Team reclaimed the lead immediately after halftime, as Anna Schaedler found the back of the net to put GA ahead, 2-1.

Girls Academy continued to build on its momentum in the second half, as Zoey Montgomery added a goal to extend the lead to 3-1.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better way to start the England tour,” coach Foxley said. “The girls put in a fantastic performance today against a very good Manchester City team. We started strongly, created chances and managed to take the lead, which was a great reward for the way we started the game.”

Jones closed out the scoring with her second goal of the match, this time assisted by Harkin Brown, to give the Select Team a 4-1 victory in its historic international debut.

“Defensively, we struggled early on to deal with City’s movement off the ball and their ability to find pockets of space in the forward areas. After some adjustments at halftime, the girls came out in the second half and executed exactly what we asked of them. We looked much more compact, made it difficult for City to play through us and scored three fantastic goals.”

“To do that after a demanding start to the tour and with such limited time together as a team is a huge credit to the players. Their attitude, resilience and willingness to adapt were outstanding. We couldn’t be prouder of the performance today and the way the girls represented the Girls Academy.”

Tuesday’s match marked the first competitive experience of a week designed to extend well beyond international competition. Throughout the England Tour, players will experience professional football environments, elite coaching and development opportunities, including training, theory and match analysis with Manchester City, a professional development workshop with Gemma Donnelly and visits to several of England’s most historic football venues. The experience reflects the Girls Academy’s continued investment in meaningful player development opportunities beyond the traditional competition calendar.

UP NEXT: The Girls Academy International Select Team will return to action Saturday, Aug. 15, with matches against Manchester United and Celtic. GA will face Manchester United at 10 a.m. before taking on Celtic at 2:30 p.m.