USWNT opens Gold Cup with 5-0 win over the Dominican Republic
Teenager Olivia Moultrie scored twice in her first U.S. start, and Alex Morgan capped off the game with her first national team goal in nearly a year.
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CARSON, Calif. — Olivia Moultrie scored twice in her first national team start and the United States defeated the Dominican Republic 5-0 on Tuesday night in the inaugural CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup tournament.
Moultrie, 18, making just her third appearance with the national team, scored her first goal in the seventh minute when she stretched to tap the ball across the goal line.
Lynn Williams added a goal off a pass from Midge Purce in the 30th minute to make it 2-0 in the U.S. team’s first game of the year.
Purce also fed Moultrie for her second goal in the 59th minute. Moultrie, who plays for the Portland Thorns in the National Women’s Soccer League, is the third-youngest player to score multiple goals in a game for the United States.
“I’m pretty ecstatic right now. I was just so happy to be on the field tonight, to have the opportunity to start is amazing,” Moultrie said.
Jenna Nighswonger scored her first goal for the U.S. on a penalty in the 86th minute to make it 4-0.
Alex Morgan, who was brought into the team earlier Tuesday, came in as a second-half substitute. Morgan was a roster replacement for Mia Fishel, who tore a ligament in her right knee in practice a day earlier.
» READ MORE: USWNT rising star Mia Fishel suffers a torn ACL; Alex Morgan to replace her on Gold Cup roster
Morgan, who normally wears No. 13, wore Fishel’s No. 7 because of CONCACAF rules.
Morgan converted a penalty kick in stoppage time to wrap up scoring. It was her 122nd international goal.
It was the sixth victory for the United States under interim coach Twila Kilgore, who took over when coach Vlatko Andonovski departed the team following the Americans’ disappointing finish at the Women’s World Cup last summer.
Kilgore will coach the United States until May, when Emma Hayes, currently coach of Chelsea, takes over. Purce said Kilgore did a good job of making sure everyone was on the same page.
“I think that we’re playing against a low block so it gives us an opportunity for a lot of creativity,” Purce said. “And we have a lot of creative players on the front line. So it really fun. It was a fun day.”
Korbin Albert, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, also made her first start.
Veteran defender Becky Sauerbrunn, the captain for the match, was also a late addition to the roster because Alana Cook sustained a minor knee injury. It was Sauerbrunn’s 216th cap.
The Dominican Republic clinched a spot in Group A with a 1-0 victory over Guyana on Saturday. Kathrynn González scored the lone goal early in the second half.
Gonzalez, a Pennsylvania native, came in as a second-half substitute against the United States.
Earlier Tuesday at Dignity Health Sports Park, home to Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy, Argentina and Mexico played to a scoreless draw to open Group A play.
There are three groups of four teams in the tournament, with matches in Carson, San Diego and Houston.
The United States plays Argentina on Friday night in Carson.
» READ MORE: Get to know Korbin Albert, the U.S. women’s soccer team’s newest rising star