By Abigail Gerken @abigailgerken22
March 1st, 2017. Lynn Williams had the only goal of the game as the United States Women’s National Team defeated Germany 1-0 in a close match in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Lineup: 3-5-2
Alyssa Naeher
Becky Sauerbrunn, Allie Long, Casey Short
Crystal Dunn (Mallory Pugh, 58), Morgan Brian, Carli Lloyd (captain), Samantha Mewis, Tobin Heath
Christen Press (Lindsey Horan, 79), Lynn Williams (Alex Morgan, 79)
The ladies in red, head to toe, faced off against the 2016 Olympic gold medalists Germany in the first round of matches in the SheBelieves Cup. This tournament was created in 2016 after the USWNT launched the #SheBelieves campaign during the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The countries invited to face the United States are Germany, France, and England. They are ranked 2, 3, and 5 in the world respectively.
The game was pretty evenly matched with both sides having multiple opportunities on goal. Germany’s best chance came in the 12th minute when Sara Däbritz hit a dangerous shot from right outside the 18 yard box forcing Alyssa Naeher to make a save. The USWNT goal was started off with Christen Press stripping the ball away from Germany’s left back and cutting inside to take a left footed shot that hit the crossbar. Tobin Heath then followed the rebound but it was deflected off a German defender out to the penalty spot. The 2016 NWSL MVP Lynn Williams then finished it into the back of the net to put her country up 1-0.
Lynn Williams had another opportunity to add onto the scoresheet when she beat two german defenders to go 1v1 with the keeper, but then she hit it over the goal in the 69th minute. The United States continued to hold the 1-0 lead to win the game.
A couple of takeaways:
Casey Short:
The defender from the Chicago Red Stars had a solid game at left center back. This was only her 5th cap but she looked very comfortable in that position. She made a lot of great tackles and was a prominent part in the USA getting a shutout.
Alyssa Naeher:
Alyssa Naeher has been competing with Orlando Pride goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris for the starting goalkeeper role since Hope Solo‘s absence following the 2016 Olympics. Having a clean sheet against the 2nd best ranked team in the world is very good for Naeher’s case.
Allie Long:
The Budweiser woman of the match looked very solid in her middle center back role. Primarily an attacking center midfielder, Long’s versatility shined as she was the key to this 3 center back experiment. We will most likely see her start in this position in games to come.
What’s next for the USWNT?
The United States takes on England in the next instalment of the SheBelieves Cup on March 4th in Harrison, New Jersey. You can watch it on Fox at 5:30 pm eastern. The lionesses lost 2-1 to France in the game prior to USA versus Germany.
Featured image courtesy: @ussoccer_wnt
Come chat with me on twitter: @abigailgerken22
