Jamaica Easy Fodder for US

Wambach Has Part in Four Goals

April 5, 2008

MEXICO – Striker Abby Wambach had two goals and two assists and the United States women’s soccer team started Olympic Qualifying with a bang, routing Jamaica, 6-0, on Friday.

With the win, combined with Mexico’s 8-1 win over Jamaica on Wednesday, the U.S. and Mexico have qualified for the semifinals while Jamaica was eliminated. The USA will now face Mexico Sunday with first place in Group A on the line.

Mexico, which holds a slight advantage in goal difference over the USA in goal differential, needs just a tie to win the group. The Americans need a victory to win the group. The winners of the semifinals earn CONCACAF’s two berths to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

US Striker Abby Wambach notched two goals and two assists Friday. (CHRIS ADUAMA/ aduama.com)

Friday’s match was never in doubt as the USA outshot Jamaica 19-5 and controlled most of the possession. The U.S. opened the scoring in the 16th minute when Wambach powered around two defenders on the left flank, took a touch to the end line and cut a perfect cross back to Carli Lloyd, who side-footed the ball into lower right corner from 11 yards out for her 12th career goal.

Five minutes later, 20-year-old Lauren Cheney made it 2-0, also courtesy of some hard work from Wambach. The U.S. striker got free again on the left side but Jamaican goalkeeper Nicoda Linton came out sliding to block the ball, only to let it bounce off her chest. Wambach got the ball back, took a touch toward the middle and smacked a shot that was cleared by a defender at the top of the six-yard box. The ball rebounded out to Cheney at the top of the penalty area and she hammered her first-time chance into the net through traffic from 16 yards out.

Wambach blasted the spot kick into the left corner to make it 3-0 eight minutes into the second half. The fourth goal came in the 68th minute as attacking midfielder Lindsay Tarpley lifted a pass from the right wing over the defensive line to an unmarked Wambach, who brought the ball down on her thigh in the middle of the penalty area and bounced her shot into the left corner from 10 yards out. The two goals upped Wambach’s career total to 91 in 113 games.

The USA added a goal in the 88th minute after Tarpley sprinted down the left flank before hitting a perfect cross into the middle for O’Reilly, who hammered her shot into the upper right corner from 12 yards out.

After plenty of Jamaican “injuries” caused a nice block of stoppage time, the Americans took advantage when Cheney played substitute Tobin Heath into penalty area on the right and the 19-year-old lashed her shot into the upper right corner to make it 6-0.

The crowd over just over 5,000 was largely pro-Jamaica, rooting the underdogs on for the entire match, although the fans did not appreciate Jamaica’s stalling toward the end of the game. Still, it gave the USA a small taste of what Sunday’s match against Mexico will be like in front of a rabid home crowd.

U.S. WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM GAME REPORT:

Scoring Summary:
USA – Carli Lloyd (Abby Wambach) 16th
USA -- Lauren Cheney (unassisted) 21st
USA – Abby Wambach (Penalty Kick) 53rd
USA – Abby Wambach (Lindsay Tarpley) 68th
USA – Heather O’Reilly (Lindsay Tarpley) 88th
USA – Tobin Heath (Lauren Cheney) 95+

Lineups:
USA: 24-Nicole Barnhart; 14-Stephanie Cox, 15-Kate Markgraf, 3-Christie Rampone – Capt. (4-Cat Whitehill, 55); 17-Lori Chalupny; 7-Shannon Boxx, 11-Carli Lloyd (13-Tobin Heath, 46), 5-Lindsay Tarpley, 9-Heather O’Reilly; 8-Lauren Cheney, 20-Abby Wambach (10-Kacey White, 73).

JAM: 1-Nicoda Linton; 4-Christina Murray, 6-Janice Rennalls, 16-Tanesia Vassell - Capt, 22-Yolanda Hamilton; 3-Marcilee McBean, 11-Jodi-Ann McGregor (18-Stacy-Ann Johnson, 91+), 14-Omolyn Davis, 17-Christina Chang; 7-Venicia Reid (8-Kenesha Reid, 74), 23-Shakira Duncan (10-Tashana Vincent, 64).

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