After a 21-year hiatus from playing in Australia, the United States women’s soccer team wasted no time making an impact against the Matildas on Saturday, scoring within the first 24 seconds. This swift goal proved to be enough for the revamped American squad, securing a 3-0 victory at Sydney’s Olympic Stadium, witnessed by a record crowd of 36,109.
Ashley Hatch marked her first international goal when the Australian defense failed to clear the ball from the opening kickoff. Hatch found herself one on one with goalkeeper Teagen Micah and calmly slotted a low shot to the right of Micah. The second goal for the Americans came from Rose Lavelle in the 49th minute, and captain Lindsey Horan completed the scoring with a penalty in the 68th minute.
Despite Hatch’s early goal, Australia dominated much of the first half, and US goalkeeper Casey Murphy, making her international debut, was the standout player of the opening 45 minutes. Murphy made crucial saves, including two from Australia’s veteran Sam Kerr.
The best scoring opportunity for Australia came from Kyah Simon, who missed from inside the six-yard box with the goal open. Notably, this match marked the first time since April 9, 2013, that the US fielded a starting XI with every player under the age of 30. The average age of the starting side on Saturday was 26 years, making it the youngest starting lineup for the USWNT since April 5, 2018.
Lindsey Horan and Tierna Davidson were the only players in the starting lineup who participated in the most recent match with the Matildas during the Olympic bronze medal game on August 5 in Tokyo, a match won 4-3 by the Americans. Lavelle and Emily Sonnett also played in that match as second-half substitutes.
The US women’s team, with four World Cup victories, including the latest in France in 2019, is gearing up for the next World Cup in 2023, which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The tournament’s first match is scheduled 600 days from Saturday’s encounter. The last time the Americans played in Australia was when they won the silver medal at the 2000 Olympics. The teams are set to face each other again on Tuesday in Newcastle, north of Sydney.
