Olivia Sayer
Fans in attendance for the semifinals of the SheBelieves Cup between the USWNT and Japan light up Mercedes-Benz Stadium with their cellphones. The United States defeated Japan 2-1 on a penalty kick. (Photo/Olivia Sayer).
The United States women’s national team used a penalty kick by Lindsey Horan to defeat Japan in the semifinals of the SheBelieves Cup 2-1 Saturday afternoon. The game-winning shot came in the 77th minute and brought the record-setting crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to its feet.
“It felt like home to all of us,” interim USWNT head coach Twila Kilgore said. “And that is one thing I want to make sure this crowd here is like. It felt like home to all of us, even the non-reaction from the Japan goal helped us.”
A foul on Sophia Smith in the box gave the USWNT the opportunity to go ahead, and Horan did not miss. She snuck a ball to the left of diving Japan goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita to break the tie and put the United States up by one.
Despite losing or tying its past 12 matchups with the USWNT, Japan came out blazing. In the first minute, Kiko Seike fired a ball off the left post and past U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher to give Japan a 1-0 lead. Despite the deficit, the United States remained calm on the sideline.
“I think [the mindset when getting down] is stay calm,” USWNT forward Mallory Swanson said. “And I actually think that we were able to gain some momentum as the game went on and continue to create chances.”
After multiple failed opportunities, the United States finally broke through in the 21st minute, when Jaedyn Shaw ripped a ball past Yamashita to tie the match and elicit cheers from the crowd of 50,644. It was the largest crowd for a USWNT match on its home soil in the 39-year history of the team.
“I think having won in my hometown and breaking the record was great,” Georgia-native and USWNT defender Emily Sonnett said. “It’s great for the sports community here.”
Shaw, who scored the United States’ first goal, entered the match coming off a solid performance in the Gold Cup, where the 19-year old led the USA in scoring with four goals. Her performance earned her the Golden Ball, honoring the top player at the tournament.
The United States will next face the winner of Brazil and Canada April 9 at 7 p.m, while Japan will play the loser in the Third-Place Match at 4 p.m. on the same day. The USWNT will attempt to win its fifth straight SheBelieves Cup.
About the Assignment:
This gamer was written for my Intro to Sports Reporting and Writing class for Grady College’s Sports Media Certificate at the University of Georgia. This first draft of this article was due at the end of stoppage time, while the final version was due within 30 minutes of completing post-match interviews.