Young players score first career goals as USWNT routs Colombia 6-0

ORLANDO, Fla. — The U.S. Women’s National Team closed out its January training camp with a dominant 6-0 win against Colombia with young players and experienced veterans both making significant contributions.

Approved by FIFA to represent the USA on January 13, Catarina Macario earned her second cap, made her first career start and opened the scoring with her first goal USWNT goal, that coming in just the third minute. Megan Rapinoe scored twice to make it 3-0 at half and after the break, Lynn Williams tallied her 10th international goal, Lindsey Horan capitalized on the USA’s abundance of set piece opportunities with a goal off a corner and Margaret Purce also netted her first goal for the USA.

As it did in the 4-0 victory over Colombia on Jan. 18, the USA kept up the attacking pressure all evening, outshooting Colombia 33-2 and spending almost of the entirety of the match in Las Cafeteras’ territory.

The U.S. wasted no time getting going as midfielder Rose Lavelle fired a shot high only 13 seconds into the match. The early attacking initiative paid off quickly as Macario tallied to become the 15th U.S. player to score in her first start for the WNT.

Macario’s opener was just the start of a relentless opening period with the USA continuing to work the ball around the box and threatening deep in Colombian territory. Left back Emily Sonnett and right back Ali Krieger bombed balls into the penalty area, but Colombia’s defense did well to clog the middle and slow things down a bit. Once again, Colombia goalkeeper Sandra Sepulveda held strong under duress to keep things from getting out of hand.

While Colombia grew into the game some as the half wore on, the U.S. back line defused any potential danger. Macario and Lavelle proved to be a dangerous attacking combination and the pair helped spark the USA’s second goal. While a cross in from Lavelle was deflected by Colombia, Emily Sonnett kept the ball alive in the box and teed up Rapinoe, who threaded a shot past several Colombia defenders for her first goal since March of 2020 at the SheBelieves Cup.

After a number of threatening opportunities on set pieces, the U.S. finally scored off one in the 43rd. When Daniela Arias took down midfielder Samantha Mewis in the box, the referee pointed to the spot and Rapinoe stepped up to convert the spot kick. The forward finished smartly to put the U.S. up 3-0 going into halftime and tallied her first brace since the epic quarterfinal win against France at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The U.S. continued to menace the Colombia defense in the second half, but Sepulveda came up with a few more nice saves. Williams finally broke through for a goal in the 60th minute, getting a step on her defender to head home off a Mewis cross for her 10th international goal.

The U.S. earned 20 corner kicks in the match and capitalized on one in the 73rd. Second-half substitute Crystal Dunn, who has consistently played outside back for the USA since 2018, came in at forward in a throwback to her earliest days on the National Team as an attacking player (where she also plays in the NWSL). Dunn delivered a corner to the near post for fellow sub Lindsey Horan and she one-timed it home for her 20th international goal.

Purce, who has also been playing defender for the USA, and who also plays more of an attacking role in the NWSL, also came in at forward, and the former Harvard star attacker put an exclamation point on the wire-to-wire attacking display with a late goal.

For the third consecutive game, the USA defense held its opponent without a shot on goal. In just her second career start for the USWNT, goalkeeper Jane Campbell recorded her first career solo shutout.

The USWNT returns to action next month for the 2021 SheBelieves Cup to be held Feb. 18-24, also at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, when it will welcome Japan, Brazil and Canada to the sixth annual edition of the tournament.

Goal Scoring Rundown

USA – Catarina Macario (Ali Krieger), 3rd minute: The USA’s early attacking onslaught was rewarded when midfielder Rose Lavelle found defender Ali Krieger on the run down the right wing and the Orlando Pride captain sent in a bouncing cross to the near post. Off a nice darting run in front of her defender, Macario met the cross first-time and blasted it into the roof of the net from six yards out into the upper right corner. USA 1, COL 0

USA – Megan Rapinoe (Emily Sonnett), 35th minute: After some nice interchange between Lavelle and Macario on the right wing, Lavelle sent a cross into the box. While it deflected off a Colombia defender, defender Emily Sonnett was able to keep the ball alive near the 18-year-line and got it to Rapinoe, who fired a bouncing shot through traffic, off a Colombia defender, and just inside the left post. USA 2, COL 0

USA – Megan Rapinoe (Penalty Kick), 44th minute: On one of the USA’s many corner kicks of the evening, Colombia defender Daniela Arias tackled – American football style — midfielder Samantha Mewis inside the penalty box, forcing referee Danielle Chesky to point to the spot. Rapinoe stepped up for the penalty and calmly finished to make it. USA 3, COL 0

USA – Lynn Williams (Samantha Mewis), 60th minute: From the left flank, Mewis launched a looping cross to the far side of the six-yard box. Williams jumped over her defender to and timed her header perfectly to send the ball just inside the right post for her 10th career international goal. USA 4, COL 0

USA – Lindsey Horan (Crystal Dunn), 73rd minute: Lining up for another of the USA’s many corners, Dunn struck a curving ball into the box that flew over the first line of players and fell to the foot of Horan, who one-timed it to the near post for her 20th USWNT goal. USA 5, COL 0

USA – Margaret Purce (Carli Lloyd), 86th minute: A nice pass Horan found Carli Lloyd on the run behind the Colombian defense on the left side. She dribbled the ball away from the onrushing goalkeeper, then wheeled around and curled a cross to the top of the six-yard box. It was met by an onrushing Purce, who got a head on the ball and directed it to the back right post for her first career international goal in just her third cap. USA 6, COL 0

Additional Notes

• The USWNT improved to 7-0-1 all-time vs. Colombia. The U.S. has outscored Colombia 30-2 in their eight meetings and Friday night marked its seventh shutout of Las Cafeteras.
• The USA is riding a 34-game unbeaten streak and has scored two or more goals in 30 of those games.
• The U.S. also is unbeaten in its last 50 home matches: 45 wins and five draws. The run has seen the USA outscore its opponents 179-27, including a margin of 49-3 during its last 12 matches on home soil.
• U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski is 13-0-0 in his first 13 games, extending a record for best start for a head coach in USWNT history. Pia Sundhage holds the second-best start for any head coach in USWNT history with 10 straight victories.
• Forward Catarina Macario became the 15th USWNT player to score in her first start. She’s the first to do so since Jessica McDonald in 2018.
• Megan Rapinoe earned her 170th cap and scored her 53rd and 54th career USWNT goals.
• Lynn Williams, making her third consecutive start for the USWNT, scored her 10th international goal. She has appeared in 12 of the USWNT’s last 13 matches.
• Midfielder Lindsey Horan became the 31st player to score 20 goals for the USWNT. Midfielder Samantha Mewis became the 30th last Monday night.
• The USWNT’s 10 goals thus far in 2021 have been scored by seven different players: Samantha Mewis (3), Rapinoe (2) and one each from Horan, Macario, Kristie Mewis, Purce and Williams.
• Kristie Mewis replaced her sister Samantha in the 68th minute when the younger Mewis went down with an ankle injury.
• Defender Emily Fox, the #1 pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft by Racing Louisville FC, came on in the 79th minute to earn her fourth cap.
• Carli Lloyd earned her 296th cap and is just four away from becoming the third player in U.S. history to hit 300 caps.

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

Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Colombia
Date: January 22, 2021
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Exploria Stadium; Orlando, Fla.
Attendance: 3,202 (Limited Attendance)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Weather: 73 degrees; cloudy

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA                          3 3 6
COL                          0 0 0

USA – Catarina Macario (Rose Lavelle) 3rd minute
USA – Megan Rapinoe (Emily Sonnett) 35
USA – Megan Rapinoe (Penalty Kick) 44
USA – Lynn Williams (Samantha Mewis) 60
USA – Lindsey Horan (Crystal Dunn) 73
USA – Margaret Purce (Carli Lloyd) 86

Lineups:

USA: 24-Jane Campbell; 11-Ali Krieger (27-Emily Fox, 79), 28-Alana Cook, 12-Tierna Davidson, 14-Emily Sonnett; 8-Julie Ertz, 16-Rose Lavelle (9-Lindsey Horan, 62), 3-Samantha Mewis (22-Kristie Mewis, 68); 6-Lynn Williams (23-Margaret Purce, 68), 29-Catarina Macario (10-Carli Lloyd, 63), 15-Megan Rapinoe (Capt.) (19-Crystal Dunn, 63)
Subs not used: 18-Ashlyn Harris
Head coach: Vlatko Andonovski

COL: 12-Sandra Sepulveda (1-Natalia Giraldo, 87); 17-Carolina Arias, 16-Jorelyn Carabali, 3-Daniela Arias, 23-Nancy Acosta; 4-Diana Ospina, 8-Jessica Caro (20-Linda Caicedo, 85), 5-Ana Huertas (10-Gisela Robledo, 46), 15-Orianica Velasquez (9-Kena Romero, 46) (14-Ingrid Guerra, 89); 6-Daniela Montoya (capt.), 11-Catalina Usme
Subs not used: 22-Valentina Gonzalez, 2-Kelly Ibarguen, 7-Maria Camila Reyes, 18-Manuela Pavi,19-Kelly Caicedo, 21-Liana Salazar
Head coach: Nelson Abadia

Stats Summary: USA / COL
Shots: 33 / 2
Shots on Goal: 12 / 0
Saves: 0 / 6
Corner Kicks: 20 / 0
Fouls: 11 / 0
Offside: 4 / 2

Misconduct Summary:
COL – Orianica Velasquez (caution) 39th minute
COL – Kena Romero (caution) 54
USA – Ali Krieger (caution) 78

Officials:
Referee: Danielle Chesky (USA)
Assistant Referee 1: Brooke Mayo (USA)
Assistant Referee 2: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA)
Fourth Official: Karen Abt (USA)

U.S. Soccer Insiders Woman of the Match: Catarina Macario