U.S. EARNS SECOND WIN DOWN UNDER

April 7, 2012

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The U.S. Women’s National Team rolled away with a second win over No. 7 Australia today in Buderim, Australia. A pair of first half goals was enough for the 2-1 victory over the Aussies. With the win, U.S. leads the series 2-0, with the final match tomorrow at 4pm local time. 

"We're pleased to have got another victory in a tough contest,” said Nick Conway, Assistant Coach. “We don't feel like we played to our best for the entire match, but we were able to complete the task when there was a challenge. In the important moments, the players stood up which is really encouraging.” 

The U.S. had an outstanding start, piling on the pressure early, which resulted in a 1-0 lead at the 14 minute mark with a field goal by Michelle Vittese (Cherry Hill, NJ). Vittese sent the ball across the circle in what appeared to be a reverse sweep pass to Shannon Taylor (Midlothian, VA). However, before the ball reached Taylor’s stick, it was deflected into the cage by an Aussie defender. 

In the 29th minute, a foul committed by the U.S. caused a penalty stroke for the Australians. Ashleigh Nelson stepped up to challenge U.S. goalkeeper Amy Tran-Swensen (Grantville, PA). Nelson sent a fast ball to the upper right corner of Swensen’s cage and evened the match at one all. 

 The U.S. responded quickly and within minutes had a second goal tallied on the boards. Vittese collected the ball at the penalty stroke mark and sent it to teammate Katie O’Donnell (Blue Bell, PA) at the left post. O’Donnell sent a quick, deceptive pass to Taylor waiting at the right post. Taylor dove to get a touch on the ball and was able to send it into the cage, scoring her second goal of the series. 

 The U.S. entered halftime with a one goal advantage. The second half saw several exciting scoring opportunities from both teams, however neither side converted and the game concluded with a 2-1 victory for the U.S. 

Australian Coach Adam Commens commented about the U.S. Team saying, “They are pretty fast and nimble and it's about good coaching. Lee Bodimeade was a lightening quick forward in his day and I think they will trouble top teams at the Olympic Games.” 

The Australians will be looking to deny the U.S. team a clean sweep of the series tomorrow, before heading to New Zealand for a 4-Nations tournament that will follow. The final match will be streamed live and highlights of this match can be viewed on Hockey Australia’s website.

EARLY GOAL BY TAYLOR SEALS U.S. VICTORY

April 5, 2012

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The U.S. Women’s National Team took the field to face Australia in front of a home crowd today, in the first match of a three game test series in Brisbane, Australia. The U.S. came out strong, taking a 1-0 lead early in the first half. They held on to the advantage for an entire 63 minutes, ending the game with a 1-0 victory.

Shannon Taylor (Midlothian, VA) and Michelle Kasold (Chapel Hill, NC) applied intense pressure inside Australia’s offensive circle to force a penalty corner just seven minutes after the start. Taylor capitalized on the corner with a direct shot on cage that sailed just over the goalkeepers extended stick. Taylor’s goal was the only goal of the game, on either side.

The match continued back and forth with good pressure applied from both sides. The U.S. was able to ward off an Australian penalty corner in the last minutes of the first half, allowing a 1-0 advantage entering the locker room at halftime.

The second half continued the same way the first had ended, with back and forth pressure from both sides. The U.S. had several scoring opportunities, with six shots on goal in the second half, but the ball failed to cross the line. Likewise, Australia was inches away from tying the game, when a ball was struck from the center of the circle towards the upper left corner of the cage. What appeared to be a goal was deflected off of Jackie Kintzer’s (Robesonia, Pa) blocker as she leapt for the diving save. The crowd was in awe. Kintzer’s save concluded the match with a 1-0 victory for the U.S.

Team captain Lauren Crandall (Doylestown, Pa) earned “Player of the Game” for a solid performance in the backfield. Action continues on Saturday, April 7 at 6pm local time. For live streaming and highlights, click here. Follow the U.S. Women’s National Team in Australia @USAFieldHockey