Jenna Nighswonger and Jaedyn Shaw scored within the first half, and the US rebounded from their loss to Mexico with a 3-0 victory over Colombia on Sunday night time to advance to the semi-finals of the Concacaf Ladies’s Gold Cup.
Lindsey Horan additionally transformed a penalty within the opening minutes for the People, who shook off the embarrassment of their 2-0 loss to Mexico last Monday within the closing recreation of group play. The US have been again in dominant type in opposition to a powerful Colombian staff that reached the quarter-finals of final 12 months’s World Cup.
The US will face Canada within the semi-finals in San Diego on Wednesday.
The loss to Mexico highlighted the regular decline in outcomes for this longtime world soccer energy up to now few years, together with a bronze medal on the Tokyo Olympics and a spherical of 16 exit from final 12 months’s World Cup. However this victory confirmed this group of gamers nonetheless have sufficient expertise and athleticism to show even a tricky match-up into a cushty win – notably when their younger stars have the possibility to flourish.
The spectacular first-half was highlighted by Shaw, the People’ 19-year-old rising star. When she scored on a pointy go from fellow teen Trinity Rodman, she joined Shannon Boxx as the one gamers in US historical past to attain in every of their first three worldwide begins.
The US hadn’t conceded a objective to a Concacaf opponent of their earlier 33 matches earlier than Mexico scored twice in opposition to them final Monday, however goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and a protection led by Naomi Girma bought the People again to scrub sheets, with Naeher posting her forty third shutout throughout a decade on the US staff.
A loud crowd supported the US efforts to get again on monitor in Angel Metropolis FC’s house stadium simply south of downtown Los Angeles, and the staff was awarded an early penalty when Jorelyn Carabali took down a sprinting Alex Morgan within the tenth minute. Horan stutter-stepped earlier than burying her second penalty conversion of the Gold Cup.
Each groups had a bodily edge within the first half, with Morgan and Maria Usme getting matching yellow playing cards for a scrap whereas jostling for place. Rodman bought one other yellow a couple of minutes later for kicking at Daniela Arias in frustration over the Colombian defender’s cagey play.
Nighswonger made it 2-0 within the twenty second minute, ensuing within the southern California native’s second worldwide objective. The 23-year-old Gotham FC defender graduated from Huntington Seaside Excessive College.
Colombia elevated the stress, however Naeher made two spectacular saves on pictures by Actual Madrid teenager Linda Caicedo.
The US went up 3-0 in first-half harm time when Shaw banged house Rodman’s go for her third objective of the event and fifth in eight profession appearances. The People’ assault has been markedly extra spectacular on this event when the speedy, artistic Shaw – who performs for San Diego’s NWSL staff – is on the sphere.
Within the night’s different match, Lizbeth Ovalle scored two targets as Mexico superior to the semi-finals with a 3-2 victory over Paraguay. Karen Luna additionally scored and Esthefanny Barreras saved a penalty for Mexico, who adopted up their landmark victory over the US by outlasting Paraguay in an exciting second half that includes 4 targets and lots of extra probabilities for each groups. Ovalle prolonged her star-making efficiency on this event by scoring in every half in opposition to Paraguay, giving her 5 targets in Gold Cup play. Camila Barbosa and Rebeca Fernandez scored within the second half for Paraguay.
