COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The U.S. women’s soccer team beat Colombia, 3-0, on Saturday night in the first of a two-game series that serves as the final tuneups for next month’s World Cup and Olympic qualifying tournament.
But while the score was favorable and parts of the box score were lopsided, the game was a test. Colombia’s defense gave as good as it got, and the Americans were unable to score until Sophia Smith struck twice in the second half.
The night started as an audition for two players who started, but aren’t necessarily starters, goalkeeper Casey Murphy and striker Ashley Hatch.
Murphy had little work to do, as Colombia had just one shot. All she had to do was take care of a few passes back to her.
Hatch, on the other hand, landed in the spotlight often — and not always for the better.
For example, a 21st-minute play where left back Emily Fox charged halfway up the field, then passed to Hatch in the middle of the 18-yard box. Hatch could have shot, but instead played the ball back toward Fox, and it went astray in traffic.
In the 30th, Hatch got free on the left, and played a cross toward Smith that was low and easily intercepted.
There was a better play in the 40th, when Hatch was part of a smart buildup sequence that resulted in a scoring chance. But her role came from a place in midfield, and a collision prevented her from getting upfield to contribute more.
About a minute later, Hatch put an open header wide.
As small a sample size as one half of soccer can be, national team games are made of small sample sizes. So there was fair concern when the first half ended scoreless. That the U.S. had a pile of shots in the box score didn’t matter. Rose Lavelle and Mallory Pugh had shot wide, and Lindsey Horan had a penalty kick saved just before halftime.
When Lavelle put that shot wide, Alex Morgan applauded the effort as she stretched and jogged. It was deserved encouragement, but she knew she might replace Hatch at halftime — and she did. In addition, Ashley Sanchez replaced Horan, an even clearer sign that U.S. manager Vlatko Andonovski didn’t like what he had seen.
The second half livened up quickly, with Sanchez hitting the crossbar from 18 yards five minutes in. And the breakthrough came in the 54th: Lavelle jumped on a loose ball at midfield, sprung Smith with pass that split two Colombian defenders, and Smith hit a first-time shot past onrushing goalkeeper Catalina Perez from 20 yards.
Smith scored again in the 60th, with Lavelle again the provider, and this time the play was even better. Lavelle made an emphatic steal, hit a sweeping cross-field pass to Smith on the right, and she was inch-perfect with a left-footed finish.
Now the U.S. was in its customary position. But there were still frustrations, including another penalty kick save by Perez — this time on Lavelle in the 70th.
Then came more substitutions. Kristie Mewis and Taylor Kornieck replaced Lavelle and Andi Sullivan, and Megan Rapinoe replaced Pugh.
It was Kornieck’s senior U.S. debut, coming amid her first senior team call-up, and the University of Colorado product got a warm ovation from the local crowd of 17,143 fans. Kornieck also set a record for the tallest outfield player (i.e. not a goalkeeper) in U.S. women’s team history at 6-foot-1, beating Sam Mewis by an inch.
The cheers for Kornieck grew even louder when she finished off the night with a set-piece goal, heading in a Rapinoe free kick in the 90th minute.
