Mallory Pugh (L) of the USWNT makes a pass against England on March 4, 2017 in Harrison, NJ. Photo by Mike Lawrence.
SANTA MONICA – The USWNT suffered their first loss in the history of the Shebelieves tournament to England on Saturday with a final score of 0-1. England, who has never before won a game in this tournament, shut out the USA for the entirety of the match and finally scored a goal in the closing minutes.
Both team had very few shots on goal and it looked like the match would end in a draw. Substitute Ellen White changed that in 89th minute of the game when she rebounded Lucy Bronze’s shot and scored. The final score was 1-0 and marks England’s first win against the USA since 2011.
This shows a strong recovery from England after they lost their first match to France 1-2. France, who tied Germany in a shutout game on Saturday, are in the lead of the tournament. They will play the USA on Tuesday, while England and Germany will face off. With 1 loss and a draw, Germany is the only team without a chance to win this tournament. England has 1 win and 1 loss, the USA has a win and a loss, and France has a win and a draw. All three teams have a chance to win the coveted first place trophy.
If the USA hopes to secure that trophy for the second year in a row they need to put more pressure on offensively as they face off France. In the past two games combined the USWNT has only had 5 actual shots on goal.
Fans watch the USWNT train for tonight’s match against France in Washington, DC. Photo by Brad Smith.
