Sentnor scores brace as United States cruises past Jamaica

Ally Sentnor scored twice in the first half and Lynn Biyendolo added two in the second as the United States eased past Jamaica 4-0 in a friendly in Saint Louis, Missouri, on Tuesday night.

Retired U.S. veteran Becky Sauerbrunn was honored before the game at City Park in her hometown as Emma Hayes side dominated a shorthanded Jamaica side in its second friendly of the international window.

The U.S. beat China 3-0 on Saturday and took that momentum into the game against Jamaica with a huge advantage in shot attempts (23-2), shots on goals (10-0) and corner kicks (12-0), while maintaining 82.4 percent possession.

"I want us to be calm and controlled in what we're doing. And I thought there was a maturity to that," USWNT coach Emma Hayes said.

"When I watch the team, they very much molded into an Emma Hayes team. That's how I feel when I watch us. I feel like there's a lot of composure to the performances."

Sauerbrunn, who amassed 219 caps in an international career that spanned 16 years, is a two-time Women's World Cup winner and an Olympic gold medalist. Fans, who received a bobblehead in her image, gave her a standing ovation and chanted her name in a pregame ceremony.

Lynn Biyendolo came on as a second-half substitute and scored shortly after, tapping home from close range after a corner kick to make it 3-0, and added her second late on with a blistering run through the heart of the Jamaica defense to finish from an Avery Patterson cross.

"She [Biyendol] always contributes to the team's performance in a profound way. She could have had a hat trick coming off the bench," Hayes added.

The USWNT's first goal came after some nice buildup, with Lily Yohannes playing a perfect ball over the Jamaica defense to Emily Fox, who laid the off for Sentnor to blast past Jamaica keeper Liya Brooks with her first touch.

Sentnor's second was a more straightforward affair, as the ball fell to the Utah Royals forward in the area for an easy left-footed finish. The goals were the 21-year-old Sentnor's third and fourth of her senior career. She was also named U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year for 2024.

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"They're really easy to play with at moving the ball," Sentnor said of her U.S. teammates after the game. "I'm still trying to work to get better for them."

Phallon Tullis-Joyce made her second consecutive in goal for the United States as Hayes looks for a successor to longtime goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who retired last year. It was her third straight clean sheet.

Jamaica, which has never beaten the U.S, started two sets of sisters -- Allyson and Chantelle Swaby, and Kalyssa and Amelia Van Zanten.

One big storyline coming out of the last two matches was the return of defender Naomi Girma for her first U.S. matches this year. She had been absent due to several nagging injuries after starting 18 matches in 2024, but had returned to action after a January move to Chelsea in which she was part of the team that won the Women's Super League and FA Cup.

Girma was a part of a 27th shutout in her 44th start for the U.S. on Tuesday.

"Naomi is like getting the Rolls-Royce out of the garage. I mean, what an unbelievable football player," Hayes praised Girma after the match. "She just brings a level of composure and decision making in the deeper spaces, that's just so underrated."

The U.S. team presented Sauerbrunn, who was serving as a commentator for the match and recently announced that she is expecting her first child with partner Zola Short, with a cake at the end of the match.

With no international tournaments on the horizon this summer, the U.S. will instead play three more friendlies including a pair of games against the Republic of Ireland at the end of June and the third against Canada on July 6.

Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this story.