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When Sweden surged to a 5–0 advantage over Cuba at the 1938 men's World Cup in France, French journalist Emmanuel Gambardella closed his typewriter and proclaimed: "Up to five goals is journalism. After that, it is statistics."
Gambardella would have stopped writing before the first half-hour of the U-17 U.S. women's national team's World Cup debut against Samoa on Monday. Had everyone else watching in Morocco done the same, they would have missed 12 additional goals and the full magnitude of Maddie DiMaria's extraordinary feat.
The 17-year-old high school sensation ignited the scoring within 63 seconds and ultimately finished the match with six goals and one assist. No U.S. player has ever scored a double hat trick in a competitive game at any age level, and DiMaria became the first player since Erling Haaland to net six goals at a World Cup.
Haaland, who shone for Norway's senior men's team at this summer's World Cup on North American soil, famously scored nine goals against Honduras at the U-20 World Cup in 2019.
"That means everything—he's an inspiration," DiMaria said when presented with this remarkable statistic. "Watching him play, watching him score and just his hunger and ruthlessness in front of goal, he's an incredible player and to be the next person behind that is truly such an honor.
"I feel incredibly excited and grateful just to be in this moment. I don't think I could have done it without my teammates. Going out there, our aim is simply to give everything we have and I think we absolutely did that. Starting strong from the beginning, and I think scoring early set the tone for the rest of the game.
"I'm just so blessed to have all those girls behind me, supporting me, finding me in the right positions and celebrating with me."
While Samoa's outmatched players were clearly unable to contain DiMaria or her teammates during the 17–0 thrashing, they would have been well aware of the danger she presented.
Who Is Maddie DiMaria?
A record breaking night for Maddie DiMaria 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6FquYvO8UT
"Maddie's awesome." U-17 USWNT head coach Ciara Crinion had much more to say about her prolific forward, but those two words said it all.
DiMaria has been an open secret for years. The Missouri native became the first freshman ever to be named Gatorade National Player of the Year after tallying 30 goals and 21 assists on the way to a state championship with Cor Jesu Academy. DiMaria has only gotten better since—and at a remarkable rate.
After posting a staggering 67 goals and 25 assists while going unbeaten in all 25 matches for Cor Jesu Academy in her junior year, DiMaria transcended the sport. The 17-year-old was named the 2026 Gatorade Best Female Player across all sports, an honor she later described to NBC Chicago as "the best moment of my life."
Past recipients of this cross-sport recognition include Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Allyson Felix, who together hold 11 Olympic gold medals, as well as two-time World Cup champion Morgan Gautrat.
It's a towering reputation to uphold, but DiMaria seems built for this level of expectation. The St. Louis native, now committed to play college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels, comes from a rich soccer lineage.
That heritage traces back to DiMaria's grandfather, Tom, a former goalkeeper enshrined in the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame. Her father Jeff played in MLS, while her mother Sara is one of the most prolific playmakers in the history of Division I Loyola-Chicago. DiMaria's siblings, Ana and Jack, have also competed at the college level.
"They've always pushed me to be the best version of myself on and off the field," DiMaria told TopDrawerSoccer. "We've always played soccer in the backyard together, and I've grown up with them always supporting me." That support has clearly paid dividends.