USWNT qualifies for 2020 Olympic Games with 4-0 victory over Mexico

CARSON, Calif. – The U.S. Women’s National Team qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan with a 4-0 victory over Mexico in the semifinal of the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament in front of 11,292 fans at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Rose Lavelle opened the scoring before a pair of goals from Samantha Mewis and a magical Christen Press chip ensured the USA would be represented at the Olympic Women’s Soccer Tournament this summer which will be contested from July 22-Aug. 7.

Having swept through Group A play with a 3-0-0 record and a plus-18 goal difference, the USA continued to show its depth and sharpness in Vlatko Andonovski’s first major tournament as USWNT head coach by outshooting Mexico 26-6 (11-1 on target) while claiming 60 percent possession.

The U.S. continued its streak of scoring early when Lavelle collected a Megan Rapinoe pass and picked out the bottom right corner in the fifth minute. Mewis then doubled the lead in the 14th minute when she smashed a Rapinoe corner kick into the back of the net from just outside the six-yard box.

The USA took the 2-0 lead into the break and then built on it in a second half that featured Mewis scoring a second goal via a thunderbolt of a free kick and Press coming off the bench in the 68th minute to score in a sixth consecutive game.

After Press made it 4-0 in the 73rd minute, the U.S. nearly added to its lead on multiple occasions but will ultimately be content to have qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games with a dominating performance.

Next on the Schedule: The USA will face Canada on Sunday, Feb. 9 (6 p.m. ET / 3 PT; FS2, Galavision) for the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship title – the fourth consecutive time the teams will meet in the Olympic Qualifying tournament final. Fans will also be able to watch the game on FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports app.

Social: Twitter, Instagram (@USWNT) and Facebook

Goal Scoring Rundown:
USA – Rose Lavelle (Megan Rapinoe), 5th minute: The USA once again opened the scoring early with a bit of magic from Rapinoe and Lavelle. Rapinoe, who was coming back to the ball and away from goal, flicked a ball with her heel to the on-rushing Lavelle who dribbled between two Mexican defenders, beat another with a touch to her left and then shot between two more, depositing her left-footed grass-skimmer into the lower right corner from 22 yards out in a goal reminiscent of her score in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final. USA 1, MEX 0 [WATCH]

USA – Samantha Mewis (Megan Rapinoe), 14th minute: The second goal came off a corner kick from the right side as Rapinoe struck a skipping cross on the ground that was dummied near the right corner of the goal box by Julie Ertz. The ball rolled into the path of the crashing Mewis who smashed a spinning shot into the right side of the goal from seven yards away, giving the Mexican ‘keeper no chance. USA 2, MEX 0 [WATCH]

USA – Samantha Mewis, 67th minute: Tobin Heath suffered a hard challenge on the edge of the Mexico box to earn the USA a free kick to the right of the penalty arc. Rapinoe made a dummy run past the ball and Mewis hit a laser beam with a a low drive through traffic into the bottom left corner. USA 3, MEX 0 [WATCH]

USA – Christen Press, 73rd minute: Press picked up the ball on the right wing in Mexico’s half of the field and drove toward goal. She beat one defender before unleashing a shot that was blocked but fell back to her. With another defender closing in, Press lifted a delicate chip over Mexico goalkeeper Emily Alvarado and just under the crossbar into the left side of the goal. USA 4, MEX 0 [WATCH] FINAL

Additional Notes:

• The USWNT in 37-1-1 all-time vs. Mexico.
• Rose Lavelle now has 12 international goals and two in 2020. She made her 34th start in her 41st international appearance tonight.
• Samantha Mewis scored her 17^th and 18th career goals in her 63rd cap tonight. She has four goals so far in the 2020 Concacaf Olympic Qualifying tournament and has now scored a pair of goals in each of her last two games.
• Christen Press scored her 56^th career goal. It was the sixth straight game in which she has tallied a goal. The USWNT record for consecutive games with a goal was set in in 1991 by Michelle Akers, who scored in nine straight matches.
• She is the first player to score in six straight games since Carli Lloyd did so in 2014 when she scored in seven consecutive games.
• With the goal, Press becomes the 5^thS. player to score in six straight joining April Heinrichs, Lloyd, Mia Hamm and Akers.
• Crystal Dunn, the only player to start all three group games, earned cap No. 100 tonight, becoming the 39th player in USA history to reach the century mark. She will be honored for the achievement later in the year.
• The USA is 22-0-1 all-time in Olympic Qualifying and has scored 120 goals while allowing three.
• Eight players have scored so far for the USA in 2020: Horan (5), Press (5), Mewis (4), Williams (2), Lavelle (2), McDonald (2), Lloyd, and Heath.

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

Scoring Summary:   1          2          F
USA                          2          2          4
MEX                         0          0          0

USA – Rose Lavelle (Megan Rapinoe)                      5^th minute
USA – Samantha Mewis (Megan Rapinoe)               14
USA – Samantha Mewis                                            67
USA – Christen Press                                                73

Lineups:

USA: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 5-Kelley O’Hara, 7-Abby Dahlkemper, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 19-Crystal Dunn; 8-Julie Ertz, 16-Rose Lavelle (9-Lindsey Horan, 76), 3-Samantha Mewis; 17-Tobin Heath (13-Lynn Williams, 68), 10-Carli Lloyd (Capt.), 15-Megan Rapinoe (20-Christen Press, 68)
Substitutes not used: 2-Emily Sonnett, 6-Andi Sullivan, 11-Ali Krieger, 12-Adrianna Franch, 14-Jessica McDonald, 18-Ashlyn Harris
Head coach: Vlatko Andonovski

MEX: 12-Emily Alvarado; 13-Bianca Sierra (2-Kenti Robles, 69), 3-Janelly Farías, 4-Jocelyn Orejel, 5-Jimena López, 10-Stephany Mayor (Capt.), 16-Karla Nieto, 7-Daniela Espinosa, 8-Kiana Palacios, 11-Lizbeth Ovalle (17-Diana Evangelista, 83), 9-Renae Cuellar
Substitutes not used: 1–Cecilia Santiago, 14–Adriana Iturbide, 15–Mariana Cadena, 19–María Sánchez, 18–Liliana Mercado, 20–Itzel González
Head coach: Christopher Cuellar

Stats Summary: USA / MEX
Shots: 26 / 6
Shots on Goal: 11 / 1
Saves: 1 / 7
Corner Kicks: 5 / 3
Fouls: 10 / 10
Offside: 4 / 1

Misconduct Summary:
MEX – Bianca Sierra (caution)           65^th minute

Officials:
Referee: Melissa Borjas (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Chantal Boudreau (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Stephanie-dale Yee Sing (JAM)
4th Official: Myriam Marcotte (CAN)

Women of the Match: Samantha Mewis