USWNT overpowers New Zealand 6-0 as Emma Sears nets a hat trick

KANSAS CITY, MO – The U.S. Women’s National Team closed out the October FIFA window on a high-flying note, winning 6-0 over New Zealand with the least experienced starting XI for the U.S. in 25 years.

It was a historic evening at CPKC Stadium as the USA played for the first time at the world’s first-ever stadium built just for a women’s soccer team and home of the Kansas City Current, the 2025 NWSL Shield winners.

The U.S. Women’s National Team scored their goals in a 3-2-1 grouping – a hat trick from forward Emma Sears, a brace from forward Catarina Macario, and a first-half golazo from midfielder Rose Lavelle – to record the USA’s 10th win of the year. The United States dominated the match, recording a whopping 34 shots, more than 82 percent of the possession and 10 corner kicks.

Head coach Emma Hayes made six changes from the starting lineup against Portugal on Oct. 26 in East Hartford, Conn. and San Diego Wave defender Kennedy Wesley was one of them. Her start at center back with Jordyn Bugg (who earned just her fourth cap) made her the 25th player to earn a cap under Hayes and 283rd player all-time in program history. Sears and defender Emily Sams started for the first time during this October camp. Macario and Lavelle, who connected for the team’s goal 44 seconds into the Oct. 23 match against Portugal, also earned the start.

Lavelle captained the side for the fourth time in her career.

Two Kansas City Current players started the international friendly at their club’s home stadium. Midfielder Claire Hutton and forward Michelle Cooper drew thunderous applause from the Teal Town crowd that cheers them on during the NWSL season.

Including Hutton, five players made their second consecutive start: midfielder Lily Yohannes, Bugg, defender Lilly Reale and goalkeeper Claudia Dickey

The average number of caps per player heading into the match was 17.3, which surpassed the April 8, 2025, match against Brazil as the fewest for a USWNT starting XI in 25 years. Heading into Wednesday’s match against New Zealand, Lavelle had earned more caps (114) than the rest of the lineup combined (77).

For the third straight match, the U.S. opened the scoring inside the first 10 minutes of play. Yohannes and Cooper combined with each other nicely near the right sideline, which opened up space for Cooper. The Kansas City forward sent a low cross into the box for a winger-to-winger connection. Sears timed her run smartly and the Racing Louisville forward smashed the low cross with her right foot to give the United States an early 1-0 lead.

The Americans doubled their lead later in the half. The U.S. swung a corner kick from left side to the right where Lavelle passed to Sams inside the 18-yard box. The outside back drove a hard cross into the box and it took a deflection but remained in a dangerous area for Macario to clean up. The Chelsea FC forward’s shot had enough pace to withstand Victoria Esson’s right foot and spin upward into goal for Macario’s fourth goal of the year.

The U.S. extended its lead with the third goal of the night in the 44th minute. After more patient build-up, the U.S. advanced the ball into the team’s attacking third. New Zealand tried to clear out of its penalty area but the ball popped up to land around Lavelle who was ready and in position just outside the top of the box. Tonight’s captain calmly volleyed the ball on a bounce and her absolute banger curled beautifully into the right side of the net.

With a strong lead at the halftime break, Hayes made her first substitutions as midfielder Lindsey Heaps replaced Hutton and midfielder Sam Coffey entered the match for one of the first-half goal scorers, Lavelle.

After dominating the Football Ferns in the first half, outshooting them 18-0 and keeping 85 percent of the possession, U.S. goalkeeper Claudia Dickey was called into action for the first time in the 53rd minute when New Zealand got their first good look of the night. Defender Kate Taylor put the ball in a dangerous area, flicking a header on frame off a New Zealand corner kick. Dickey stayed poised and reacted quickly to scoop the close-range shot away for the first of her two saves of the night.

Dickey ended the night with a shutout, her third in four starts for the U.S.

The same players who opened the scoring – Sears and Cooper – provided the team’s fourth goal of the night. In the right channel, Coffey found Cooper on a long pass. With space, Cooper touched the ball with the outside of her foot then made a sliding cross to save the ball from floating out of bounds. In the six-yard box, Sears calmly collected the cross on the other end, then tucked her shot into the open net to record her first career international brace and third career goal.

The goals continued flowing for the United States and in the 66th minute, Macario cleaned up a deflected pass from Heaps and drove a short-range shot with her laces from inside the box. It was the fourth career brace for Macario and her 13th international goal.

In the 67th minute, Kansas City favorite and one-fourth of the Current quartet on this October USWNT roster entered the match as a substitute. Current captain Lo’eau LaBonta received a warm, emphatic greeting at her club’s home stadium to earn her fourth career cap.

The United States was not done and in the 84th minute, Sears scored the sixth goal of the night to become the 26^thplayer in USWNT history to record exactly three goals in a match. Following a foul, Coffey took a direct free kick about 30 yards from goal. Her service took a deflection that clanged off the post and took a fortuitous bounce into the path of Sears, who had followed the initial kick and was in position to clean up any rebound. The tap-in on an open goal secured the first international hat trick for the leading American goal scorer in the NWSL.

The win concludes a three-match set for the USWNT in the October FIFA window. Next, the U.S. heads to Florida to close out the year with two matches against 2025 UEFA Women’s Euro semifinalists Italy. The first matchup takes place Friday, Nov. 28 at Inter & Co Stadium in Orlando in a match presented by The Home Depot. Then, the two sides meet again on Monday, Dec. 1 at Chase Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale.

Goal Scoring Rundown

USA – EMMA SEARS (MICHELLE COOPER), 8th minute: Cooper put her heels on the sideline to stay wide on the right flank. Lily Yohannes backheeled a pass to Cooper on a smooth give-and-go, which opened up space for Cooper down the right channel, and the forward delivered a cross inside the box. Sears held her run on the far post to stay onside, working off the back shoulder of her defender, and finished one-time with a low, driven strike off her right foot from the edge of the six-yard box. USA 1, NZL 0

USA – CATARINA MACARIO, 34th minute: The United States worked the ball from one corner to the other following a short corner kick. Lavelle knocked a pass into space for Sams and the fullback drove a low cross into the box from the right side of the 18-yard box. The ball initially took a deflection in a crowded box but landed in the area of Macario. The forward struck the ball with her right foot toward the center of the net. The New Zealand goalkeeper got a piece of Macario’s shot, but the ball spun high off her foot and into the back of the net. USA 2, NZL 0

USA – ROSE LAVELLE, 44th minute: The United States exercised patience in possession and advanced the ball into the attacking third. New Zealand made a tackle that popped the ball out to Lavelle just beyond the top of the 18-yard box. On a bounce, the midfielder struck the ball with her right foot for a gorgeous curling strike into the right-hand side of the net. USA 3, NZL 0

USA – EMMA SEARS, 55th minute: Coffey, fresh off subbing on at the halftime break, found Cooper with a long pass up the right flank. Cooper worked her defender 1v1 with the dribble then slid to cross the ball into the box, saving it from rolling over the end line. Sears was in position near the goal line and calmly collected the cross surrounded by three defenders and tucked it in with a brisk rolling ball into the back of the net. USA 4, NZL 0

USA – CATARINA MACARIO, 66th minute: A pass from Lindsey Heaps outside the box caught a deflection but continued its path toward Macario with a defender on her back inside the box. Macario battled for the ball, outlasting her mark to set up a right-footed shot on goal. The forward struck the ball firmly with the laces of her boot and drove her shot into the back of the left hand-side netting. USA 5, NZL 0 

USA – EMMA SEARS, 84th minute: Off a direct free kick from Sam Coffey on the left side of the pitch about 30 yards out, a deflected header clanged off the near post. Victoria Esson dove to try to stop the header from going in, freeing the net. The ball bounced into the path of Sears, who was rewarded with an open goal. She finished the tap-in to secure her hat trick on the night. USA 6, NZL 0 

Additional Notes:

• This was Rose Lavelle’s fourth time captaining the USWNT. The last time she did so was Oct. 30, 2024, almost a year to the day.
• The entire back line had 11 total caps heading into the match.
• The captain for the October 26 match – center back Emily Sonnett – had 111 heading into that game while the rest of the team had 100. Tonight’s captain, Lavelle, had 114 while the rest of the team combined for 77.
• Emma Sears earned her first international hat trick tonight. Her eighth minute goal was her first international goal of 2025 and the second of her career. The 55^th minute goal and 84^th minute goals brought her international career total to four. Sears is the leading American scorer in the NWSL with 10 goals.
• Michelle Cooper assisted Sears’ goal for her second career international assist in her club’s home stadium.
• Cat Macario’s goals are her fourth and fifth international goals of 2025 and 12th and 13^th of her career. Tonight’s brace was Macario’s fourth of her international career.
• When Heaps came on at halftime, she received the captain’s armband from Lavelle.
• Kennedy Wesley is the 283rd player in USWNT history to earn a cap. She and Jordyn Bugg had a combined five caps, starting the match at center back together. When Eva Gaetino subbed on in the 80^th minute to earn her second cap, the backline dropped to 13 collective caps and held for a shutout.
• Tonight was Claudia Dickey’s third clean sheet in four caps.
• Tonight’s 6-0 margin is the largest U.S. win over New Zealand in the history of the series, extending the USA’s longest active unbeaten streak against any opponent to 21 consecutive matches.
• Tonight’s six goals are the most USWNT goals scored since April 12, 2022, when the United States scored nine vs. Uzbekistan. Cat Macario had a brace in that game as well, as did Rose Lavelle who also scored a goal in tonight’s match.

– U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT – 

Match: United States Women’s National Team vs. New Zealand
Date: Oct. 29, 2025
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
Attendance: 11,044
Kickoff: 7:07 p.m. ET
Weather: 50 degrees and partly sunny

Scoring Summary:      1       2       F
USA                            3       3       6
NZL                             0       0       0

USA – Emma Sears (Michelle Cooper)         8th minute
USA – Catarina Macario                                34
USA – Rose Lavelle                                       44
USA – Emma Sears                                       55
USA – Catarina Macario                                66
USA – Emma Sears                                       84

Lineups: 
USA: 18-Claudia Dickey; 6-Emily Sams, 26-Kennedy Wesley, 4-Jordyn Bugg, 25-Lilly Reale (2-Eva Gaetino, 80); 15-Claire Hutton (10-Lindsey Heaps, 46), 7-Lily Yohannes (11-Lo’eau LaBonta, 67), 16-Rose Lavelle (Capt.) (17-Sam Coffey, 46); 12-Michelle Cooper (22-Yazmeen Ryan, 67), 20-Catarina Macario (8-Jaedyn Shaw, 67), 19-Emma Sears

Substitutes not used: 24-Phallon Tullis-Joyce, 5-Tara McKeown; 9-Ally Sentnor, 13-Olivia Moultrie, 14-Emily Sonnett, 23-Emily Fox

Not dressing: Mandy McGlynn, Avery Patterson, Alyssa Thompson

Head coach: Emma Hayes

NZL: 21-Victoria Esson; 25-Mackenzie Barry (5-Meikayla Moore, 60), 2-Kate Taylor, 19-Elizabeth Anton; 30-Manaia Elliott (17-Gabi Rennie, 60), 20-Indiah-Paige Riley (28-Lara Wall, 46); 14-Katie Bowen, 27-Michaela Foster (32-Emma Pijnenburg, 46), 10-Annalie Longo (34-Kelli Brown, 46); 9-Milly Clegg, 29-Katie Kitching (38-Deven Jackson, 68)

Substitutes not used: 37-Alina Santos, 40-Maddie Iro, 3-Claudia Bunge, 15-Grace Neville, 16-Jacqui Hand, 22-Hannah Blake, 26-Maya Hahn, 39-Rebecca Lake

Head coach: Michael Mayne

Stats Summary: USA / NZL
Shots: 34 / 3
Shots on Goal: 12 / 2
Saves: 2 / 5
Corner Kicks: 10 / 1
Fouls: 8 / 9
Offside: 2 / 1

Misconduct Summary:  
NZL – Lara Wall                                  49^th minute
NZL – Emma Pijnenburg                    81

Officials:  
Referee: Saphire Stockman (CRC)
Assistant 1: Abigail Brathwait (BRB)
Assistant 2: Denisha Isaacs (GUY)
Fourth Official: Dilia Bradley (GUA)