US Women Win Peace Cup Opener

Down Australia, 2-1

June 15, 2008

The match contrasted the two meetings between the teams earlier this spring when the USA won shootouts by 3-2 and 5-4 scores, but once again the USA gutted out a one-goal victory. Australia played compact defense to limit the USA’s chances while the American back line did a great job of keeping Matilda speedster Lisa De Vanna in front of them.

Abby Wambach scored for the US on Sunday. (CHRIS ADUAMA/ADUAMA.com)

The Untied States got on the board first in the 35th minute through a nice bit of flank play from midfielder Heather O’Reilly. She created the goal after collecting a ball on the right wing and pausing to asses the situation. She then exploded down the flank, beating an Australian defender to create space before sending a dangerous chip into the penalty area. Kai was making a cutting run and slipped in front of a defender before beating Australian goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri to the ball. Kai poked it by her from six yards out into the lower left corner with the ball kissing the post as it rolled over the line.

The goal was Kai’s team-leading 11th of 2008 and 19th of her young international career.

The equalizer came in the 57th as Amy Chapman chipped in a cross from the right wing that landed amongst a group of U.S. defenders, but took an awkward spinning bounce to the foot of Heather Garriock. The Australia midfielder got only a small piece of the ball on her shot, but it was enough to send the well-placed change-up trickling past U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo and into the lower right corner of the net.

Halftime substitute Aly Wagner, who was seeing her first action of 2008 after a long recovery from a double-hernia operation, sent a service to the back post just outside the six-yard box in the 77th minute. In a Herculean effort, Wambach rose up over two defenders and with her back to the goal, sent a shot on goal off the back of her head. The ball snuck past the diving Barbieri and through a small gap over the left hip of Heather Garriock (who was standing on the goal line) and the right post. The ball caromed off the post at such an angle that it clearly crossed the goal line, but never hit the net.

The goal was Wambach’s 96th international score as she continues the assault on the 100-goal mark.

Solo was troubled little in the match, but did make a brave play seconds after the winning goal, coming out of the net into the right side of the penalty to smother a ball in a footrace with Garriock and got a kick to the face for her trouble. Solo also pulled of a nifty piece of footwork in the first half, evading De Vanna with a nifty dribble inside the penalty area in the first half.

The USA will have one day of rest before facing Brazil in its second Group B match, that taking place at the Suwon Sports Complex on June 17 at 2 p.m. local / 1 a.m. ET. The two teams are tied atop the group after Brazil defeated Italy, 2-1, in today’s second Group B game.

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

Scoring Summary:
USA – Natasha Kai (Heather O’Reilly) 35th
AUS – Heather Garriock (Amy Chapman) 57th
USA – Abby Wambach (Aly Wagner) 77th

Lineups:
USA: 18-Hope Solo; 17-Lori Chalupny, 3-Christie Rampone – Capt., 15-Kate Markgraf, 2-Heather Mitts; 9-Heather O’Reilly (13-Tobin Heath, 72), 7-Shannon Boxx, 11-Carli Lloyd (16-Angela Hucles, 36), 5-Lindsay Tarpley (10-Aly Wagner, 46); 6-Natasha Kai (8-Lauren Cheney, 62), 20-Abby Wambach.

AUS: 1-Melissa Barbieri; 4-Dianne Alagich, 5-Cheryl Salisbury (2-Kate McShea, 72), 16-Lauren Colthorpe, 19-Clare Polkinghorne, 32-Ellyse Perry; 7-Heather Garriock, 14-Collette McCallum (6-Amber Neilson, 85), 20-Joanne Burgess (13-Amy Chapman, 50); 11-Lisa De Vanna, 8-Caitlin Munoz (12-Kate Gill, 74).

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