LANCASTER, Pa. - November 26, 2018 - After heavy rain flooded the outdoor pitch at Spooky Nook Sports in Lancaster, Pa., a last-minute decision was made to move the game into the dome. Despite the venue shift, the No. 12 U.S. Women's National Team garnered a large crowd to cheer them on against No. 13 Belgium. The first game of the series saw USA unable to capitalize on multiple scoring opportunities as they fell to the Red Panthers 0-2.
Belgium opened the game with possession and quickly took it into their attacking-25. After a two minutes of pressure, Jill Funk (Lancaster, Pa.) got the ball into the circle and found Lauren Moyer (York, Pa.) who registered USA's first shot. This was followed by two more consecutive shots by USA that were turned away by Belgium's goalkeeper Elena Sotgui. At the 8-minute, Danielle Grega (Kingston, Pa.), who earned her first international cap in today's contest, had a close chance after a deep intercept on a Belgium transfer. Two minutes following, Belgium converted when a shot by Pauline Leclef was deflected into the goal off the post by Emilie Sinia. The first quarter finished with Belgium holding a 1-0 advantage.
The second quarter mirrored the first, with chances to score occurring for both sides. Belgium pressed on, causing USA goalkeeper Jess Jecko (Saquoit, N.Y.) to make a diving save to prevent a second goal in the 27th minute. The USWNT created a few more runs to the goal but could not get around Belgium's defense. The halftime score stood at 1-0 in favor of Belgium.
USA came out of the break on a hunt for the equalizer by opening the period with a pair of almost-goals. The first came when Funk used her speed to get by a Belgium defender and backhand it across the goalmouth. The second when Taylor West (Princess Anne, Md.) dove to try to redirect the ball into the goal. The first penalty corner of the match came in the 34th minute for Belgium, but West as the flyer made the stop. USA continued to threaten and produced a handful of more close chances through Erin Matson (Chadds Ford, Pa.), but Belgium's goalkeeper Sotgui and the defensive unit remained diligent to keep USA off the scoreboard. The game continued to be a back-and-forth battle with both team's entering their opponents' circle only to be stopped by the defense. In the 43rd minute, USA's goalkeeper Jecko was unable to contain Joanne Peeters who received the ball at the stroke mark and flipped it toward goal, which even saw a defensive save attempt by Alyssa Manley (Lititz, Pa.) on the play, extend Belgium's lead to 2-0.
The final quarter of play would prove to be another 15-minute battle. USA continued to fight for a goal, playing tough defense in between the offensive opportunities. USA's goalkeeper Jecko blocked a backhanded shot by Belgium’s Louise Versavel. This was followed by a combination pass from Matson to Alyssa Parker (Woodbine, Md.) up ahead to Kathleen Sharkey (Moosic, Pa.) that finished with a shot that went wide. Another attempt moments later came from a similar play that was just outside of Sharkey's reach. As the time ticketed down, USA was unable to tally a score of their own as the final score stood at USA 0, Belgium 2.
Following the contest, the two teams concluded the night with a friendly round of 5-person shootout.
A special noteworthy accomplishment in tonight's contest was that USWNT athletes Danielle Grega (Kingston, Pa.) and Casey Umstead (Green Lane, Pa.) both played in their first international match for USA.
L to R: Danielle Grega & Casey Umstead
The U.S. Women’s National Team vs. Belgium series continues on tomorrow, Tuesday, November 27 at 6:30 p.m. ET with the second game. To purchase tickets or for the full schedule, results, rosters and more, check out the official USWNT vs. Belgium Event Page. #UN1TED