University of North Carolina Athletics
Hamm Scores As U.S. Tops Norway, 2-0, In Olympic Soccer
September 14, 2000 | General
Sept. 14, 2000
MELBOURNE, Australia -- With a tough Olympic schedule, the U.S. women's soccer team needed a fast start. Speedy Tiffeny Milbrett delivered.
Milbrett outran two defenders to open the scoring in the 18th minute and terrorized Norway's defense all game as the Americans began defense of their gold medal Thursday night with a 2-0 victory.
Mia Hamm added a goal in the 24th in a game that pitted the top two teams in the world rankings - both facing a daunting draw that put the loser in a big hole to make the medal round.
The U.S. team came out aggressively, winning three corner kicks in the first five minutes and most of the headers at midfield before surviving several sloppy moments defensively on a wet field with poor footing.
After playing before sellout crowds at home during the 1999 World Cup, the Americans looked like part of a tame sporting event when they marched on the field before just a few thousand fans in the cavernous, 90,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground.
But Milbrett, 5-foot-2 with the moves of a basketball point guard, supplied all the energy needed to get the evening going. Not only did she score, she accomplished a rare trifecta by hitting both goalposts and the crossbar.
Her goal, her 80th in international competition, came with help from goalkeeper Siri Mullinix, who made the just the sort of play that won her the starting job over World Cup hero Briana Scurry.
Mullinix came out of the net to send a 60-yard clearance toward Milbrett, who beat two defenders to head the ball forward with only goalkeeper Bente Nordby to beat. Milbrett's first shot was deflected by Nordby, but the easy rebound made Milbrett's follow-up a formality.
Hamm's goal was one of the easiest of the world-record 126 she's accumulated. Norwegian midfielder Anita Rapp lost her bearings and blew the offside trap, allowing Kristine Lilly to chip a pass to a wide-open Hamm in the penalty box for the score.
From there, it was all Milbrett, even though she didn't score again. In the 30th minute, she somehow missed an open net on a breakaway after a pass from Hamm. In the 40th, she hit the right post. In the 43rd, she drove a close-range bullet into Nordby's body. In the 44th, she looped an amazing shot from the top of the box that hit the crossbar. In the 68th, she rocked a sliding 18-yarder off the left post.
Mullinix extended her U.S. team record with her 14th shutout of the year. But she was fortunate not to get ejected for a tackle on Dagny Mellgren in the 34th minute. Earlier, Mullinix misjudged a cross that Christie Pearce had to clear, although playing defense was a challenge for both teams as players slipped and slid on the soggy surface.
Norway threatened little in the second half as the Americans played more conservatively with the two-goal halftime lead.
The Americans play China on Sunday in a rematch of last year's World Cup final.
