U.S. women bounce back in dominant 5-0 win over New Zealand at SheBelieves Cup

CARSON, Calif. — The U.S. women’s national team bounced back from a toothless Thursday outing in the SheBelieves Cup that resulted in a scoreless draw against the Czech Republic, winning big on Sunday at the expense of New Zealand, 5-0.

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In the victory, the potential of the younger players coach Vlatko Andonovski has been trying to integrate to the full senior squad was on display. The skill and speed of players like Margaret “Midge” Purce, Ashley Sanchez, and Catarina Macario shone in the number of chances they created, setting a pace that was energetic and at times, frenetic.

The big caveat for the Americans, of course, was that fully three of the goals were scored by a New Zealand defender, Meikayla Moore. Yet the not entirely hapless defender couldn’t be blamed completely, as all the own goals she scored were the result of desperate defending against the relentless attacks of the Americans.

In the fifth minute, Moore stuck a foot out to block Sophia Smith’s excellent cross into the box, trying to deny Macario a shot, but the deflection went into the goal.

One minute later, Sofia Huerta served another fine cross to Purce, who barely missed connecting via a header, so it’s likely Moore didn’t even see the ball until it struck her cheek as she shadowed Purce, and then the ball redirected past helpless Ferns goalkeeper Erin Nayler.

In the 36th minute, it was Purce’s turn to provide a speedy run into the box and her low cross rebounded against Moore’s leg and into the goal before the defender had a chance to react with a safe block.

Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova subbed Moore, who plays in England for Liverpool women, out of the game in the 40th minute.

The most important goal of the game for the U.S. may well have been Ashley Hatch scoring in the 51st minute via a header as a substitute in the second half from another fine Huerta assist. It was crucial for the Americans to establish that they could in fact score without an involuntary assist from the opposition.

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Yet there wasn’t a moment that every goal didn’t seem earned by the U.S. women, especially with fans in the stadium left momentarily confused because in every case, a U.S. player was so well-positioned, it took the replays to confirm that the goals were actually own goals.

The attack was solid, the passes sharp and crisp. In so many ways, the potential that had flashed only in moments during the team’s opening match shone steadily against the Ferns.

Veteran Alyssa Naeher was precise in goal, picking her moments well to cut off any Fern attacks. The vast majority of the game, however, was played in the New Zealand half.

A counterattack opportunity for the U.S., however, provided Mallory Pugh, another second-half substitution, with a breakaway chance late in the match. The forward made no mistake, outracing her defender, picking out the corner of the netting and slotting it past Nayler in stoppage time.

Andonovski, who has come under considerable criticism during his tenure even before Thursday’s draw because the USWNT settled for a bronze in the Tokyo Olympics, was far more pleased with the latest performance and outcome.

“This is a process; we still have a lot to build on,” Andonovski said. “Am I happy? Yes.”