USWNT: SheBelieves Recap vs. England
By Eric Harris
A late goal by Ellen White sinks the USWNT in their second game of the SheBelieves Cup.
In a game that was much more open and faster paced than many expected, Ellen White and England stole the headlines from the US who honored their past and saw a glimpse of the future.
The game had very few corners ,but England took advantage of one in the 89th minute. After the US couldn’t get the corner completely cleared, the ball fell to Lucy Bronze who rocketed a shot off the crossbar and White was able to poke it home.
Before the game, Christie Rampone was honored as one of the most decorated players in USWNT history. On the field, Jill Ellis made seven changes to the team that had just beaten Germany, including giving Rose Lavelle her first cap. Lavelle was the first pick of the 2017 NWSL draft and has been one of the most exciting prospects in the US’ youth system and she quickly showed why.
The #USWNT attack is coming in waves! @RoseLavelle came this close to putting 🇺🇸 on the board first.#USAvENG, 0-0, 24'. Watch live on FOX. pic.twitter.com/BZ0EjgiwKC
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) March 4, 2017
Lavelle was one of the most active players for the entire 90 minutes. She consistently was getting to balls first and creating chances for the US. Instead of playing in her natural attacking midfield role, the left-footed Lavelle played on the left wing and a lot of the US’ attacking play went through her side.
In goal, Ashlyn Harris got the nod over Alyssa Naeher. She made a nice save on a point blank shot from Nikita Parris. Outside of that she didn’t have a lot of saves to make and couldn’t do a whole lot to stop the late goal.
The backline looked a little different as well. Becky Sauerbrunn, Julie Johnston, and Ali Kreiger were organized, but did look under pressure at times against England’s high press. Johnston also missed on a header that led directly to Parris’ chance.
Next: NWSL: Takeaways From The 2017 Schedule Release
What’s Next?
Up next for the USWNT is the final game of the SheBelieves Cup against France at RFK on Tuesday. France and Germany played to a 0-0 draw in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. They currently sit at four points, so to win the tournament the USWNT need to beat France, and have Germany pick up a result against England.