BENALMÅDENA, Spain - January 29, 2019 - The U.S. Men's National Team began their 2019 campaign today, going up against No. 24 Wales in the first match of the 3 Nations Invitational. After a highly contested first quarter, No. 25 USA used early goals in the second and third quarters to finish strong in a 3-1 victory at the Club Hockey Benalmádena in Spain.

The match tempo was quick in the first quarter with possession being nearly deadlocked. Wales opened the scoring early in the 9th minute when they were awarded a free hit just inside USA's half. They took it quickly and this caught the red, white and blue off guard as Wales took full advantage of their opportunity, taking the ball into the circle and scoring on a field goal from Rhys Bradshaw.

Minutes later, a huge overhead was thrown from USA's 23 meter line. Pat Harris (Moorpark, Calif.) made an incredible reception over his shoulder while on the run. Once the ball was under control, he passed it to Sean Cicci (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) on the right side of the circle and had Wales' defense scrambling. Cicci then ran the base line before slipping the ball toward Christian De Angelis (Doylestown, Pa.) who finished with the goal, tying the game 1-1 in the 13th minute.

Heading into the second quarter, USA found themselves inside Wales' defensive circle, where a shot cleared by Wales' goalkeeper rebounded into Liam Hawley (Ventura, Calif.), earning the team a penalty corner. Cicci executed the penalty corner chance with a low bullet just above the backboard giving the goalkeeper little chance as USA took the 2-1 lead. In the second half the game was again evenly distributed, but USA was quick to open the third quarter with another scoring play in the 33rd minute. On a penalty corner opportunity, Will Holt (Camarillo, Calif.) was able to successfully convert to extend the lead to 3-1.

"I wasn't thrilled with the slow start, but then the team settled in giving us a solid win against a slightly higher ranked opponent," said Rutger Wiese, USMNT Head Coach. "There is still room for improvement, certain tactics were executed well and then others it is clear assignments were not going according to plan."

The USMNT will have the day off tomorrow before heading back to the pitch on Thursday, January 31 against No. 27 Brazil. For more information on the 3 Nations Invitational, visit the official event page by clicking here.