A forward from Fenton, Missouri has spent the past ten days rewriting the record books at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Maddie DiMaria, who played her club soccer for St. Louis Scott Gallagher and starred at Cor Jesu Academy, has scored 12 goals through four matches in Morocco, including six against Samoa, four against Kenya, one against China PR and one in a quarterfinal-clinching win over Spain.
DiMaria’s tournament run began with an eye-popping six-goal outburst against Samoa, a performance that according to ussoccer.com stands as the most goals ever scored by a USWNT player in a FIFA World Cup match at any level, and the most by any female player in FIFA World Cup history. That lone match helped carry the U.S. to what The Guardian described as a 17-0 win over Samoa, the largest margin of victory at any age level in World Cup history. The outlet also noted DiMaria became the first player to score six goals in a single match at a FIFA finals since Erling Haaland netted nine at the 2019 U-20 men’s World Cup.
A Record-Breaking Run Through the Knockout Rounds
DiMaria kept finding the net as the tournament progressed, adding four goals against Kenya and one against China PR. On October 29, she scored in the 45+3rd minute as the U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team defeated two-time champion Spain 2-1 in the Round of 16, per ussoccer.com’s match recap. That goal pushed her tournament total to 12, which the site reports extended her own record for most goals by a single player in one FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The cumulative numbers are staggering for a player who is still in high school. Her 12 goals this tournament have set a USYNT, USWNT and FIFA Women’s World Cup record for most goals by a U.S. player at any level in a single FIFA Women’s World Cup, the same ussoccer.com feature states. She now has 13 career U-17 World Cup goals, a U.S. record, after scoring once against China PR at the 2025 tournament, where she started three of four games and played 230 minutes as one of the youngest players on that roster. Her 24 goals in 22 caps at the U-17 level ties Hawaii native Sunshine Fontes’ U.S. record, and her 23 goals in 2026 alone set the mark for most goals by a U-17 USWNT player in a calendar year, according to the same source.
From Fenton Fields to the Final Eight
DiMaria has scored in five different matches at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup across two tournaments, per concacaf.com, which also confirmed the Americans advanced to the quarterfinals to face Korea DPR on Sunday. FIFA expanded the U-17 World Cup field from 16 to 24 teams starting in 2025 and plans to stage the men’s and women’s tournaments annually through 2029, The Guardian reported, a shift that has raised the stakes and visibility for young players like DiMaria chasing a spot on the senior pathway.
Back home, DiMaria’s high school legacy is just as decorated. She was the national high school player of the year as a freshman and again this past season at Cor Jesu Academy, ussoccer.com reported. Her final season with the program ended in a third consecutive state title and a 25-0 record, as detailed by stltoday.com. During that 2025-2026 season she scored 67 goals and added 25 assists, according to playeroftheyear.gatorade.com, which also lists her as the 2023-24 Gatorade National Soccer Player of the Year and a three-time Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year.
What Comes Next for the Record-Setter
DiMaria plans to graduate from Cor Jesu after the fall semester and enroll at the University of North Carolina in spring 2027, according to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch column on her Gatorade honor. At UNC, she’ll reunite with several current U-17 World Cup teammates, including Amari Manning, Deus Stanislaus, Carolina Reyna, Grace Murray and Gianna Hanf, per the ussoccer.com feature. How DiMaria’s record-setting tournament will shape her next steps remains to be seen heading into Sunday’s quarterfinal.
