Since there has been no live soccer and sports in general, U.S. Soccer has been replaying memorable games so there is still soccer to watch. This week's game was the USWNT game versus Australia on April 4, 2019. This game took place 64 days before the 2019 Women's World Cup started.
Background Knowledge
Kelley O'Hara was injured so Emily Sonnett took her spot on defense. The USWNT starting line up was: Megan Rapinoe, Alyssa Naeher, Becky Sauerbrunn, Abby Dahlkemper, Julie Ertz, Alex Morgan, Emily Sonnett, Lindsey Horan, Crystal Dunn, Tobin Heath, and Rose Lavelle. The USWNT captain was Megan Rapinoe and Australia's captain was Sam Kerr. You'll hear more about this later but in this game, Alex Morgan scored her 100th goal! The USWNT is playing a 4-3-3. Another interesting fact is that Tim Howard was watching this game in the stadium. Last but not least, Mallory Pugh and Lindsey Horan were playing in their home state, Colorado.
1st Half
The US started with kickoff and the game was underway. Both teams started off strong in the first few minutes even though no one scored. About two minutes later in the third minute, Alex Morgan received the ball and shot it, but her shot was deflected wide by an Australian player. We noticed that the US was playing very high press and they were trying to close down space. In the thirteenth minute, Lindsey Horan shot the ball towards the goal but it was blocked by an Australian player. Then in the fifteenth minute, the USWNT got their chance. Alex Morgan received the ball, beat a defender and shot the ball into the right side of the net! Alex Morgan had scored her 100th goal! The crowd flew off there seats in celebration! Only a few seconds later in the fifteenth minute Sam Kerr
(playing for Australia) received the ball but shot it high. Two minutes later in the seventeenth minute, Megan Rapinoe was called offsides. Then two minutes later in the nineteenth minute, Alex Morgan was also called offsides. Three minutes later, in the twenty-second minute, Alyssa Naeher came off her line. She jumped up and got to the ball. Later in the twenty-third minute, Alyssa Naeher came off her line to take the ball from an Australian player's feet. In the twenty-sixth minute, Megan Rapinoe attempted to shoot the ball into the box, but the Australian goalkeeper was able to get the ball. Then in the twenty-ninth minute, Lisa De Vanna received the ball on the left side of the field and shot it into the upper right corner. The score was now 1-1. Then in the thirty-third minute, Megan Rapinoe received the ball and shot it. It looked like it was going into the goal but then Ellie Carpenter from the Australian team was able to clear it off the line! In the thirty-fifth minute Lindsey Horan shot the ball but Australia's goalie, Lydia Williams, was able to tip it over the goal. A few minutes later in the thirty-seventh minute, Alex Morgan was called offsides. Then a few seconds later the US was called offsides again. Then in the thirty-ninth minute, Sam Kerr shot the ball but a US defender was able to deflect it out of bounds. In the fortieth minute, Lindsey Horan was taken down and was taken off the field to be looked at but was able to come back in. Three minutes later in the forty-third minute, Rose Lavelle received the ball and used her rocket of a foot but it went over the goal. Then in the forty-fifth minute, Tobin Heath received the ball and crossed the ball across the goal line but none of her teammates were there to get it. There ended up being one minute of extra time and the half time score was 1-1.
2nd Half (This was an action-packed half!)
First off before kick-off Sam Mewis, #3 came in for #16 Rose Lavelle. The Aussies started with kickoff and the second half was underway. Caitlin Ford started strong for the Aussies after receiving the ball and scoring by shooting the ball into the lower right corner in the forty-seventh minute. She scored within three minutes of the second half. Later in the fifty-third minute, Emily Sonnett crossed the ball into Tobin Heath who was at the far post and Heath headed the ball into the roof of the goal! The score was 2-2 in the fifty-fourth minute. Seven minutes later in the sixtieth minute, Megan Rapinoe shot the ball into the lower left part of the goal! The US was up 3-2! In the sixty-fourth-minute, #9 Lindsey Horan subbed out and #23 Christen Press came in. In the sixty-sixth-minute #22, Mallory Pugh came in for #15 Megan Rapinoe who got injured. Only forty seconds later Emily Sonnett passed the ball to Mallory Pugh in the eighteen-yard box who rifled the ball into the lower-left corner of the goal. The score was 4-2! In the seventy-third minute, Christen Press shot the ball to the left side of the goal but Williams was able to dive and deflect it keeping the score 4-2. In the seventy-eighth minute #12, Tierna Davidson came in for #2 Emily Sonnett. In eighty-first-minute the Aussies struck back. Sam Kerr jumped up and headed the ball into the goal. The score was 4-3 with the US leading. After the goal the US made another sub, #20 Allie Long came in for #13 Alex Morgan. The US made another sub in the eighty-fifth-minute #10 Carli Lloyd came in and #7 Abby Dahlkemper subbed out. In the fifth minute of injury time, the last minute of injury time, Alyssa Naeher punted the ball to Mallory Pugh who ran onto it. She chipped the ball over Williams and scored the 5th goal for the US.
A lot has changed since that game. Sam Kerr plays for Chelsea now, The US won another World Cup, Alex Morgan will be having a baby, and the US has gotten a new head coach.
We can't wait to see what it will be like for women's soccer in another year!
Keep supporting women's soccer and make sure to read our other blogs!
Smed, Jamie. Alex Morgan. 16 May 2019. Flickr, www.flickr.com/photos/
highwaytodistraction/40916779703/in/photostream/. Accessed 10 Apr. 2020.
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