On Saturday, before a crowd of a sell-out crowd of 13,208 at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester, New York, the United States Women’s National Team defeated Costa Rica 8:0 in the first friendly of the USA’s Fan Tribute Tour. In the match, Megan Rapinoe and Abby Wambach each scored twice, while Alex Morgan, Sydney Leroux, Carli Lloyd, and Heather O’Reilly also had goals.
The United States will next play Australia on September 16th, in Carson, California, at the Home Depot Center (12:30 p.m. PDT kick-off, televised live on NBC).
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U.S. Soccer Match Highlights:
USA Goals:
13′ – Megan Rapinoe (free kick)
24′ – Abby Wambach (Rachel Buehler)
32′ – Abby Wambach (Megan Rapinoe, via corner kick)
38′ – Alex Morgan (Abby Wambach)
45′ – Megan Rapinoe
77′ – Sydney Leroux (Alex Morgan)
84′ – Carli Lloyd (free kick)
89′ – Heather O’Reilly (Sydney Leroux)
See Also: U.S. Soccer match report, U.S. Soccer quote sheet.
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General Observations: Costa Rica brought a young squad and was missing several veteran players, especially on defense. Their goalkeeper, Erica Miranda, made a number of good saves, with Megan Rapinoe’s second goal being the only one that really got away (a half-save that still trickled across the line). In the second half, Costa Rica pressured more and it took the USA, who substituted in three players at the half, some time to adjust to that and all the changes in on-field personnel.
Women's Soccer Express 