The U.S. Women’s National Team scored once in the first half and twice in the second, including a diving header from Abby Wambach that was her 153rd career goal, to post a 3-1 win against Scotland in front of 14,224 fans at LP Field. It was the largest crowd ever to watch the U.S. Women in the state of Tennessee.
Wambach earned her 200th cap in the match, becoming the eighth U.S. player to reach that milestone, and her goal puts her just five short of tying Mia Hamm (158 goals) on the world’s all-time scoring list.
Megan Rapinoe opened the scoring in 21st with a superb strike and Christen Press came off the bench to supply a clinical finish of her own, giving the 24-year-old her third goal in just two caps. She is the first player in U.S. history to score three goals in her first two games.
The USA defeated Scotland 4-1 four days ago in Jacksonville, Fla., and this time the Scots came out less intimidated, seeing more of the ball in the first 15 minutes than they did in the entire first half on Saturday.
Rapinoe, who sat out the first match after arriving from France (where she is playing club soccer), scored her 20th-career goal to make it 1-0.
The goal came after Heather O’Reilly beat a defender to the end line on the left wing and got off a cross that was headed up in the air by the Scotland defense. Rapinoe jousted for the ball and as it bounced in the penalty area she brought it under control, weaved away from pressure and spun a perfect shot with the outside of her right foot into the left-side netting from 12 yards out. Scotland goalkeeper Gemma Fay was nailed to the ground as the ball bent away from her and just inside the post.
Forward Sydney Leroux, who set a U.S. record for goals as a substitute last year, made her first-career start after earning her 29 previous caps off the bench. Leroux was a menace all game long and had numerous chances to score, especially in the second half when she saw two shots from close range kick-saved by Scotland’s back-up goalkeeper Shannon Lynn, who came on for Fay at halftime. Center back Whitney Engen, who earned her first two caps at the 2011 Algarve Cup, also made her first-career start and went 90 minutes alongside Rachel Buehler.
Leroux almost scored a brilliant individual goal in the 48th minute when she beat a defender with a nifty nutmeg on the left end line, then beat another defender with a touch to the inside, but sprayed her shot wide right of the goal.
The Americans dominated the second half, out-shooting Scotland 11-3 after the break and were rewarded with two goals and a slew of close chances. Wambach made it 2-0 in the 51st minute after O’Reilly ran onto a pass slipped down the right wing. She pushed it forward into the penalty box for Leroux, who struck a low cross into the middle that Wambach finished with power on a diving header from close range.
Press came off bench in 61st minute for Wambach and played forward after getting her first start and scoring her first two goals from right midfield on Saturday.
Press made it 3-0 just three minutes after entering the game as midfielder Shannon Boxx led a break up the middle before playing a pass to her right into the penalty area. Press was wide open and had time to settle and choose a corner, crisply side-footing it into the right side of the net from 10 yards out.
Scotland pulled a goal back in the 81st minute as forward Suzanne Grant, who was playing in her 100th match for her country, skillfully volleyed home a cross from the left side, but by that time, the match had been decided.
The attendance at LP Field surpassed the record for most fans to watch a U.S. WNT game in Nashville (previously it was 9,110 for a game in 2004) and broke the record for most fans to see the Women’s National Team in the state of Tennessee which was the 13,081 that came to watch the U.S. team defeat Sweden in Chattanooga back in 1997.
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