U.S. WNT captures 1st place in Group A at Concacaf Championship

CARY, N.C. (Via U.S. Soccer) – The U.S. Women’s National Team concluded Group A play at the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship with a third consecutive dominating victory, downing Trinidad & Tobago 7-0 at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park on a rainy Wednesday night.

Almost the entire match was played inside T&T’s defensive third as they pulled 10 players back inside 35 yards, but only some less-than-sharp finishing kept the score down through the first 40 minutes – after Alex Morgan had scored in the 9th minute – before the USA exploded for three goals in the final five minutes of the half. Rose Lavelle scored back-to-back goals in the 41st and 43rd minutes, and Crystal Dunn added a fourth right before the end of the half.

The USA hit the woodwork six times in the match – five by Morgan – and T&T goalkeeper Saundra Baron made 15 saves as the USA piled up a remarkable 59-0 shot margin over the entire game, putting 22 on goal.

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In the second half, the USA got off to a fast start with Lindsey Horan scoring from distance in the 49^th minute followed by a second tally from Morgan in the 50th. Tobin Heath added one more a few minutes later for the final 7-0 score line.

Already through to the knockout round before the match, the USA won Group A, taking the full nine points from three games and will now await the results from the final set of Group B games that take place Oct. 11 in Edinburg, Texas. The second-place finisher in Group B will face the USA on Sunday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. CT (FS1, UDN), with the winner earning an automatic berth to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.

In the other Group A match, Panama upset Mexico to finish second in the group and also earned a semifinal berth, while Mexico was eliminated. Panama will face the first-place team in Group B on Oct. 14 at 4 p.m. CT.

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2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship Group A Final Standings

*Qualified for Tournament Semifinals

Goal Scoring Rundown:
USA – Alex Morgan (Tobin Heath), 9th minute: The USA struck early for the third time in as many group games when a nice sequence of ball possession sprung Heath free on the right flank. She spun a cross on the ground into the middle and Morgan finished with a deft first-time touch at the near post, redirecting the ball past the sliding goalkeeper and a defender and just inside the post at the lower left corner. USA 1, TRI 0. WATCH GOAL .

USA – Rose Lavelle (Tobin Heath), 41st minute: With the USA playing much of the game inside T&T’s attacking third, and pounding away at the opponent’s net, it took a shot from distance to double the lead. Heath got the ball just outside the right corner of the penalty area and played a short pass to Lavelle, who crushed her left-footed shot just inside the left post from about 33 yards out. USA 2, TRI 0. WATCH GOAL .

USA – Rose Lavelle, 43rd minute: The USA continued to try to find a way around the packed T&T defense on the flanks and did so again just before the half as Megan Rapinoe popped free after a nice series of passes. From the left side, she played a short pass into the middle to the crashing Alex Morgan, and as a T&T defender took her down with a tackle, the ball squirted free to Lavelle, who finished from closer range as she was also upended, for her second goal in three minutes.USA 3, TRI 0. WATCH GOAL .

USA – Crystal Dunn (Lindsey Horan), 45th minute: The USA attacked down the right this time, and the ball got to Horan, who dribbled laterally across the penalty area. The ball was briefly tackled away but them hit Horan and rolled right to Dunn who fired first-time from the top of the penalty area into the lower left corner to give the USA three goals in the last four minutes of the first half. USA 4, TRI 0. WATCH GOAL .

USA – Lindsey Horan, 49th minute: The USA once again tallied early in a half, this time through Horan, who collected a blocked shot outside the penalty area on the left side of the circle and bent her long range shot into the right corner. USA 5, TRI 0. WATCH GOAL .

USA – Alex Morgan, 50th minute: Morgan scored her 94th career goal, and bagged her second brace of the tournament, after Tobin Heath dribbled the ball deep into the penalty area on the right side, but the T&T goalkeeper snuffed her close-range shot. Morgan was first to the rebound and struck her shot on the ground off the inside of the right post from a sharp angle. The ball skidded across the goal, hit the left post and rolled in. USA 6, TRI 0. WATCH GOAL .

USA – Tobin Heath (Megan Rapinoe), 58th minute: After setting up the first two goals, Heath bagged one of her own off a Rapinoe cross from the left side. The service skidded on the wet turf into the path of the sprinting Heath, who had got a step on her defender, and she touched it into the net with her left foot from the doorstep. USA, TRI 7. WATCH . FINAL.

Additional Player Notes:

• Alex Morgan scored her second brace in the tournament – the 21st of her career – to up her career goal total to 94 in her 149th cap. At age 29, she sits in sole possession of seventh place on the USA’s all-time goal scoring list and is third all-time in two-goal games (21), behind only Abby Wambach (37) and Mia Hamm (28). With her hat trick against Japan on July 26, the fourth of her career, Morgan is now fourth all-time in multi-goal games (25) behind Abby Wambach (45), Mia Hamm (38) and Michelle Akers (26).
• She’s scored 21 goals over her last 22 WNT matches. She leads the WNT with 14 goals in 2018. Morgan’s 14 goals in 2018 are the fourth most of any American in a calendar year since 2014.
• Rose Lavelle scored her first international brace tonight to up her career total to five goals in her 16th international appearance.
• Tobin Heath earned two assists tonight to up her total to six this year, tying Lindsey Horan for most on the team. Heath made her sixth start for the U.S. WNT tonight and scored her 23rd career goal tonight and her fifth of the year. She earned cap No. 140 tonight and is in 22nd place on the USA’s all-time caps list.
• Lindsey Horan made her 13th start tonight has scored her third goal of the year. She added an assist to up her total to six in 2018, most on the team and tied with Tobin Heath. She now has seven international goals.
• Crystal Dunn scored her second goal of 2018, and first since Jan. 21 against Denmark, when she played that game as a forward. She played tonight as an outside back. It was her 24th international tally.
• Megan Rapinoe earned her 11th assist of 2018 tonight, a team leading mark. She now has 55 assists for her career, tying her with Heather O’Reilly in sixth place in the U.S. all-time list. Rapinoe’s 55 assists in 142 caps is the best ratio of anyone ahead of her on the all-time list except for Hamm, who had a remarkable 147 assists in her 276 caps.
• With tonight’s World Cup qualifying appearance, Carli Lloyd now has 17 in her career and has tied Kristine Lilly for most in U.S. history.

Additional Team Notes:

• The USA is 14-0-2 in 2018, with wins against Denmark, Germany, England, Mexico (thrice), China PR (twice), Japan, Brazil, Chile (twice), Panama and Trinidad & Tobago; and ties against Australia and France.
• The USA is unbeaten in its last 24 matches (21-0-3), and has outscored its opponents 83-17 through that stretch, scoring in all 24 games.
• The U.S. has now scored 4+ goals in five of their last six games and in four straight. They longest such streak since Oct. 19 – Nov. 13, 2016.
• Ten different players have scored in the tournament thus far: Alex Morgan (4), Carli Lloyd (3), Megan Rapinoe (2), Tobin Heath (2), Rose Lavelle (2), Crystal Dunn, Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan, Christen Press and Samantha Mewis.
• U.S. WNT head coach Jill Ellis’ three subs tonight were: Carli Lloyd for Rose Lavelle in the 46th, Samantha Mewis for Alex Morgan in the 61st and Mallory Pugh for Kelley O’Hara in the 71st minute.

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

Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Trinidad & Tobago
Date: Oct. 10, 2018
Competition: 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship – Group A
Venue: Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, N.C.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Attendance: 3,996
Weather: 77 degrees; raining

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA                          4 3 7
TRI                            0 0 0

USA – Alex Morgan (Tobin Heath)         9th minute
USA – Rose Lavelle (Tobin Heath)        41
USA – Rose Lavelle                               43
USA – Crystal Dunn (Lindsey Horan)    45
USA – Lindsey Horan                            49
USA – Alex Morgan                               50
USA – Tobin Heath (Megan Rapinoe)   58

Lineups:
USA: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 5-Kelley O’Hara (11-Mallory Pugh, 71), 7-Abby Dahlkemper, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 19-Crystal Dunn; 8-Julie Ertz, 16-Rose Lavelle (10-Carli Lloyd, 46), 9-Lindsey Horan; 17-Tobin Heath, 13-Alex Morgan (3-Samantha Mewis, 61), 15-Megan Rapinoe
Substitutes not used: 2-Emily Sonnett, 6-Morgan Brian, 12-Hailie Mace, 14-Casey Short, 18-Ashlyn Harris, 20-Christen Press
Head Coach: Jill Ellis

TRI: 20-Saundra Baron; 16-Cecily Stoute, 4-Rhea Belgrave, 2-Ayana Russell, 7-Jonelle Cato (17-Lauryn Hutchinson, 12, 15-Shenelle Henry, 46); 9-Liana Hinds, 11-Janine Francois, 14-Karyn Forbes (capt.), 18-Naomie Guerra, 6-Natasha St. Louis, 3-Mariah Shade
Substitutes not used: 1-Kimika Forbes; 13-Jenelle Cunningham, 5-Arin King, 8-Patrice Superville; 12-Kayla Taylor; 10-Tasha St. Louis
Not eligible: 19-Kennya Cordner
Head Coach: Shawn Cooper

Stats Summary: USA / TRI
Shots: 59 / 0
Shots on Goal: 22 / 0
Saves: 0 / 15
Corner Kicks: 18 / 0
Fouls: 9 / 5
Offside: 4 / 0

Misconduct Summary:
None

Officials:
Referee: Odette Hamilton (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Princess Brown (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephanie-dale Yee (JAM)
4th Official: Tatiana Guzman (NCA)

U.S. Soccer Woman of the Match: Julie Ertz