University of North Carolina Athletics
O'Reilly Powers U.S. National Team To Victory In Portugal
March 12, 2006 | Women's Soccer
March 12, 2006
QUARTEIRA, PORTUGAL - The U.S. Women's National Team needed a big win in its second match of the 2006 Algarve Cup, and got it with a dominating 5-0 victory over Denmark. The five-goal margin is the largest ever in an Algarve Cup match against an opponent other than Portugal. Heather O'Reilly, a star senior striker at the University of North Carolina scored twice, the first two-goal game of her career, while Abby Wambach, former UNC National Player of the Year Kristine Lilly and Natasha Kai also tallied for the U.S.
Lilly's goal was the 108th of her legendary career, moving her into sole possession of second-place on the women's all-time international scoring list behind former teammate and two-time Tar Heel National Player of the Year Mia Hamm (158 career goals).
France defeated China, 1-0, in the other Group B match, meaning a win or a tie for the USA in its final group match against France on Monday, March 13, will earn the Americans a berth in the championship game against Germany. The match will take place at the beautiful Stadium Algarve in Faro. Fans can follow the match live on ussoccer.com's MatchTracker with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. local time / 10:30 a.m. ET.
The first half could not have gone much better for the U.S. team, which outshot the Danes 15-1. Along with scoring four goals, the U.S. put two in the net that were called back for offside. Over the course of the game, Wambach had three separate goals called back for offside.
The USA was playing with a stiff wind at its back in the first half and needed to capitalize before switching sides. The Americans got three goals in a six-minute burst starting in the 26th minute. The goal sequence began when the U.S. sent a ball deep into the Denmark defensive third just outside the penalty area on the right flank. Denmark goalkeeper Heidi Johansen was unable to grab it, so a defender had to clear it, and against the stiff wind, the ball held up in the air. Midfielder Shannon Boxx came flying through the middle to take the ball down off her chest before lifting it over the back line to Wambach. She took a swing at the bouncing ball and got just enough to cut her shot past Johansen into the lower left corner from eight yards out. It was the 51st goal of her career.
O'Reilly, who had several good chances against China without reward, broke through for her first goal in the 29th minute. Midfielder Carli Lloyd, who was making her first-ever start in just her fourth cap, dribbled into the left side of the penalty box, cut back into the middle and bent her rolling shot off the outside of the right post from 15 yards out. The ball bounced to Aly Wagner, who also cut back into the middle before firing a left-footed shot at net that was re-directed off the goalkeeper by Wambach at point blank range. As Wambach crashed into the `keeper, the ball momentarily bounced loose in front of the net before O'Reilly came crashing through at the far post to finish from two yards out.
O'Reilly earned her second goal just two minutes later after streaking behind the Danish back line to run onto a perfect over-the-top pass from Lilly. She saw Johansen off her line and lifted the bouncing ball over her head and into the net from 25 yards out. The goals upped her international total to seven.
The USA added one more before the end of the half, courtesy of a world-class strike from Lilly. Wagner sent one of her many dangerous passes at the Danish restraining line and Wambach jumped to flick the ball behind her into the left side of the penalty area. The ball took one bounce before Lilly hit a laser-beam left-footed volley into the right side of the net from 16 yards out and Johansen did not move.
Goalkeeper Jenni Branam, yet another former Tar Heel all-star, played her first match for the full National Team since July of 2000, and picked up her first shutout since June of that year. Branam earned her first-ever cap against Denmark at the Algarve Cup in 2000, a 2-1 U.S. win. She grabbed several crosses in heavy traffic and in the second half, was called upon to make two big saves. She tipped Maiken Pipe's header off a free kick over the bar and in the 65th minute and denied Lene Jensen on Denmark's most dangerous chance of the game. With Cat Whitehill in pursuit, Jensen got behind the U.S. defense and fired a well-struck shot from 15 yards out that Branam caught solidly with a dive to her right.
The shutout extends an impressive defensive streak for the U.S, as the team has not allowed a goal from the run of play in the last 1,378 minutes dating back to the end of 2004. In fact, the current streak began after Denmark scored against the USA on Nov. 6, 2004. The team has also yet to lose under Ryan, moving to 11-0-3 since he took over the team at the 2005 Algarve Cup.
Denmark, which took just one shot in the first half, didn't get a chance until the 35th minute as Nanna Johansen lifted a shot harmlessly over the net.
Heather O'Reilly, who went the entire 90 minutes, had several chances for the hat trick, none better than in the 39th minute when she ran under a great ball from Wagner in the box. She brought it down beautifully with her laces, but couldn't get off a shot as a defender closed.
The final goal came off a blunder by Danish defender Janne Madsen, who topped a pass back to her goalkeeper. Kai intercepted the rolling ball, dribbled into the left side of the penalty area and lifted a perfect right-footed chip from a fairly sharp angle over Johansen, just under the crossbar and into the net.
