November 27, (THEWILL) – On Friday, the United States women’s soccer team defeated host Australia 3-0 at Accor Stadium in Sydney in an international friendly.
Ashley Hatch scored just 24 seconds into the game, thanks to a Lynn Williams assist and an Australian back-line breakdown. Hatch’s goal was the third-fastest in US women’s soccer history.
THEWILL recalls that in a February 2016 Olympic qualifier versus Costa Rica, Alex Morgan scored what remains the fastest goal for the USWNT, at a time of 12 seconds.
This year’s top NWSL striker was making her third appearance and starting debut for the national team, having just helped lead the Washington Spirit to their third league triumph. And, the presence of Hatch drew attention to a new look in the starting XI, which included a younger group with less national team experience than usual.
One of the exceptions was Rose Lavelle, who has been capped 67 times. She scored the United States’ second goal in the 49th minute following a header won by substitute Sofia Huerta. Margaret Purce picked up the headed ball, went on an outstanding run before crossing for Lavelle to finish.
It was a bit of a homecoming for Huerta, who spent her professional career on loan with both Adelaide United and Sydney FC. She is now a member of the OL Reign.
After drawing a foul and converting the resulting penalty, Lindsey Horan put the game away in the 67th minute.
The 3-0 score does not convey the entire narrative of this game, as Australia had numerous opportunities to score. After a Caitlin Foord cross, Kyah Simon had a point-blank shooting opportunity from about a yard out in the 37th minute, but she booted the ball over the net.
The national team veteran, with 101 caps and 26 goals, deserves credit for putting herself in position to tie the game, but the attempt was a terrible miss at a crucial point of the game. Australia ended up with 61 percent ball possession and eight shots on goal to the Americans’ six.
Team USA goalkeeper Casey Murphy, on the other hand, had an outstanding evening, making several saves to preserve the clean sheet. None more so than in the waning minutes of the first half, when she produced a couple of saves against Sam Kerr and Foord to keep the 1-0 advantage.
Thanks to her efforts, the United States earned the clean sheet in this friendly before the USWNT and Australia will meet again on Tuesday at 10:05 a.m. local time from McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
