Alex Morgan scores goal No. 50 as USWNT beats England 1-0

MILTON KEYNES, England (Via U.S. Soccer) – Alex Morgan scored the 50th goal of her career and the U.S. Women’s National Team notched its first win of the year, defeating No. 6-ranked England 1-0 in front of 14,369 spectators at stadium mk.

The USA now looks ahead to the 2015 Algarve Cup in Portugal, opening against Norway on Wednesday, March 4 (2 p.m. ET; FOX Sports 1). The WNT’s first home game of the year is April 4 against New Zealand at Busch Stadium in St. Louis (live on FOX Sports 1), where more than 28,000 tickets have already been sold.

The U.S. improved to 8-3-1 all-time against England. Seven of those eight wins have come by shutout.

The United States had many other moments to add to the scoring column, earning 10 corner kicks and a significant advantage in possession. However, the U.S. could not quite capitalize and England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley had a strong performance that included five saves.

Goal Scoring Rundown:
USA – Alex Morgan (Lauren Holiday), 25th minute: Morgan Brian started the sequence with a quick pass from the right flank to Holiday, who then crossed left-footed to Alex Morgan in the middle of the box. Morgan rose over England captain Steph Houghton and headed the ball toward the left of the frame. Goalkeeper Karen Bardley got her right glove on the shot, but it was not enough to prevent the ball from crossing the goal line as the USA scored the only goal it would need. USA 1, ENG 0 (SEE GOAL) (FINAL)

Key Saves and Defensive Stops:
ENG – Steph Houghton, 21st minute: In one of the USA’s first attacking sequences in the first half, Morgan Brian collected the ball at the edge of the box and ripped a shot. However, England’s captain Houghton lunged in for the block and denied the opportunity.

ENG – Karen Bardsley, 40th minute: USA right back Ali Krieger received the ball from Abby Wambach at the edge of the box and tried to sneak a shot past Bardsley at the near right post, only to see Bardsley cover the space well for the save.

ENG – Steph Houghton, 45th minute, +1: Left back Meghan Klingenberg crossed a dangerous ball into the box with Abby Wambach lurking in front of the goal. Instead, Houghton positioned herself in between to deflect the cross just wide right of the frame.

USA – Ashlyn Harris, 56th minute: Until this point, England was without a shot on frame, but Fran Kirby ended that stretch with a pacey strike from well outside the box. Harris stretched for the clutch save, parrying the ball just enough to push it off the crossbar. That left a rebound opportunity, which Jodie Taylor got on the end of and placed into the back of the net. However, the assistant referee ruled that Taylor was offside, nullifying the goal.

ENG – Karen Bardsley, 62nd minute: Alex Morgan looked to add to her goals total, escaping some contact from Laura Bassett and finding enough space to let off a left-footed shot toward the right post. Morgan did not quite get everything behind it, and Bardsley collected with the save to her left.

USA – Ali Krieger, 90th minute, +4: England had one final moment to squeeze out an equalizer, but on Eniola Aluko’s cross from the right side into the six-yard box, Krieger headed clear to maintain the shutout.

Milestone Watch:

• With her 50th goal, Alex Morgan is now the 10th WNT player to reach that milestone. Morgan is now three goals behind ninth-place Carin Gabarra (53 goals from 1987-1996).
• Abby Wambach became the sixth WNT player to earn 200 starts, joining Kristine Lilly (330), Christie Rampone (270), Julie Foudy (260), Mia Hamm (247) and Joy Fawcett (234). Wambach has now earned 234 caps, which also ranks sixth all-time.

Next on the Schedule:
The U.S. WNT returns to action at the 2015 Algarve Cup in Portugal, starting against Norway on Wednesday, March 4. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. ET at Vila Real de San Antonio.
Broadcast information: FOX Sports 1

Additional Notes:

• Head coach Jill Ellis made two starting lineup changes from the USA’s previous match against No. 3-ranked France.
• Goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris earned her second straight cap and appeared for the sixth time in her career.
• The back line included the center back pairing of Becky Sauerbrunn and Whitney Engen, Meghan Klingenberg on the left and Ali Krieger on the right. Krieger earns her first start of the year after coming off the bench against France.
• The midfield in the USA’s 4-4-2 included Lauren Holiday and Morgan Brian in the center, Carli Lloyd on the left and Christen Press on the right.
• Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach were paired up top. Wambach, who was a second-half sub against France, wore the captain’s armband.
• Defender Crystal Dunn made her first appearance of the year and collected the 24th cap of her career, replacing Klingenberg in the 79th minute.
• In the waning moments, Amy Rodriguez entered for Morgan in the 90th minute and Kelley O’Hara replaced Press in the second minute of stoppage time.

– U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report –

Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. England
Date: Feb. 13, 2015
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: stadiummk; Milton Keynes, England
Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET
Attendance: 14,369
Weather: 41 degrees; Scattered clouds

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA                       1 0 1
ENG                       0 0 0

USA – Alex Morgan (Lauren Holiday)   25th minute

Lineups:
USA: 24-Ashlyn Harris; 11-Ali Krieger, 6-Whitney Engen, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 25-Meghan Klingenberg (22-Crystal Dunn, 79); 23-Christen Press (5-Kelley O’Hara, 90+2), 15-Morgan Brian, 12-Lauren Holiday, 10-Carli Lloyd; 13-Alex Morgan (8-Amy Rodriguez, 90), 20-Abby Wambach (capt.)
Subs Not Used: 7-Shannon Boxx, 9-Heather O’Reilly, 14-Julie Johnston, 16-Lori Chalupny, 17-Tobin Heath, 19-Rachel Van Hollebeke, 21-Alyssa Naeher, 26-Tori Huster
Head coach: Jill Ellis

ENG: 1-Karen Bardsley; 2-Alex Scott, 5-Steph Houghton (capt.), 6-Laura Bassett (19-Jessica Clarke, 90), 3-Demi Stokes (14-Alex Greenwood, 70); 7-Jordan Nobbs (16-Fara Williams, 81), 8-Jill Scott, 4-Jo Potter (20-Eni Aliko, 79), 11-Karen Carney; 9-Jodie Taylor (22-Lianne Sanderson, 81), 10-Fran Kirby
Subs Not Used: 12-Gemma Bonner, 13-Siobhan Chamberlain, 15-Casey Stoney, 17-Katie Chapman, 18-Jade Moore, 21-Carly Telford
Head coach: Mark Sampson

Stats Summary: USA / ENG
Shots: 12 / 3
Shots on Goal: 6 / 2
Saves: 2 / 5
Corner Kicks: 10 / 2
Fouls: 3 / 7
Offside: 1 / 1

Misconduct Summary:
None

Officials:
Referee: Sandra Bastos (POR)
Assistant Referee 1: Olga Almeida (POR)
Assistant Referee 2: Maria Joao Freire (POR)
Fourth Official: Lorraine Clark (SCO)

Woman of the Match: Christen Press