HOUSTON, Texas (April 8, 2018) - The U.S. Women’s National Team defeated Mexico 6-2 in front of 15,349 fans at BBVA Compass Stadium in a match that included six first half goals: two from Alex Morgan and single strikes from Mallory Pugh, Lindsey Horan, Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe. For Lloyd, the goal was the 100th of her international career as she joins an elite club of six players to have scored 100 or more times for the U.S. WNT.
Like in the first game of this two-game series against Mexico, the USA got off to a quick start with Lloyd blasting a loose ball at the net from close range less than a minute into the contest, but Mexico goalkeeper Cecilia Santiago made a brilliant reaction save.
It didn’t take long for the USA to get on the board as two minutes later Pugh ran onto an excellent pass from Rapinoe and rounded Santiago before rolling the ball into the open net.
Mexico climbed back into the game with two scores off Monica Ocampo corner kicks – one of them a Goal Olimpico that flew directly into the net – to take the lead.
The U.S. had an immediate response with Lindsey Horan equalizing in the 25th minute off a powerful header from a corner kick, setting the stage for Lloyd’s 100th career goal as she headed home from close range to put the USA ahead. Just before the break, Morgan scored off a sliding shot inside the six-yard box from a fantastic low service from Rapinoe to send the United States into half with a 4-2 advantage.
In the second frame, the USA continued its prowess, adding two more tallies with goals from Rapinoe – who had an excellent game which included four assists – and Morgan, who scored a brace for the second consecutive time after doing so three days ago in Jacksonville.
The U.S. WNT players will return to their NWSL clubs to resume the sixth season of the league. The USA will regroup in the summer for a pair of friendlies against China PR on June 7 (9 p.m. ET, FS1) in Sandy, Utah and June 12 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2) in Cleveland, Ohio.
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Goal Scoring Rundown:
USA – Mallory Pugh (Megan Rapinoe), 3rd minute: Rapinoe sent a perfectly-timed through ball to Pugh, who outran her defenders behind the Mexico defense. Mexico goalkeeper Cecilia Santiago came out of her goal to challenge, but Pugh easily evaded her, dribbling to the left before rolling her shot into the open net for the first goal of the game. USA 1, MEX 0. WATCH.
MEX – Monica Ocampo, 17th minute: Ocampo’s left-footed corner kick from the right side flew through the goal mouth traffic and stuck into the corner at the opposite post. It was her 17th international goal and classic Goal Olimpico. USA 1, MEX 1. WATCH.
MEX – Kiana Palacios (Monica Ocampo), 24th minute: Ocampo’s corner kick from the right side once again proved to be dangerous with her cross making its way to Palacios at the far post, where she pounded home a header from almost on the goal line to give Mexico the lead. USA 1, MEX 2. WATCH.
USA – Lindsey Horan (Megan Rapinoe), 25th minute: Rapinoe served a corner kick from the right side into the middle of the penalty box and Horan outjumped the pack to head the ball over Santiago and just under the cross bar to tie the game with her fifth career score. USA 2, MEX 2. WATCH.
USA – Carli Lloyd (Alex Morgan), 34th minute: Rapinoe worked her way free of a few defenders on the left flank and then crossed the ball. It flew through the goal mouth to the right side of the penalty area and was run down by Lindsey Horan, who lifted a cross back into the middle. Morgan got a good strike on the ball with a volley, but it hit off the hand of the diving Santiago and went straight up in the air. The ball came down almost on the goal line before Lloyd headed it home off the bounce for her 100th career score. USA 3, MEX 2. WATCH.
USA – Alex Morgan (Megan Rapinoe), 44th minute: The USA took a two-goal lead courtesy of Rapinoe as she ran onto a headed clearance from Becky Sauerbrunn that skipped through down the left wing. Rapinoe raced in on goal and unselfishly sent a cross on the ground into the middle for the sliding Morgan, who knocked the ball into the net for her 84th international goal. USA 4, MEX 2. WATCH.
USA – Megan Rapinoe, 64th minute: Campbell’s long kick landed at Rapinoe’s feet who sent a pass to Morgan up front. Santiago did a good job coming out to the top of the box to block the shot, but the ball rebounded back to Rapinoe’s feet who then sent a long shot over Santiago and into the back of the net. USA 5, MEX 2. WATCH.
USA – Alex Morgan (Megan Rapinoe), 68th minute: The USA got its sixth off a corner kick from the left side as Rapinoe picked up her fourth assist of the game. Rapinoe bent in a low, but driven cross that skipped through traffic to the far post where Morgan bundled the ball into the net with her hip for her 85th career goal. USA 6, MEX 2. WATCH. FINAL.
Additional Notes:
- Carli Lloyd scored her 100th international goal today in her 252nd cap, becoming the sixth WNT player in history to achieve the feat. She’s the first player to do so since 2009 when Abby Wambach joined the century club. Lloyd is in sixth place on the all-time caps list and is four away from tying Abby Wambach for fifth.
- Lloyd scored 36 international goals between the time she debuted six days before her 23rd birthday, and her 30th birthday. Since turning 30, she has scored 64 goals in 117 games in just under six years. The 117 games after the age of 30 rank her seventh all-time in U.S. history that category. Christie Pearce is far and away the leader with 175.
- Today was the first time the USA has had five different goal scorers in a match since Oct. 22, 2017 vs. Korea Republic in Cary, N.C.
- Megan Rapinoe had an incredible game, scoring one goal and notching four assists in what was her 135th international appearance. She has 36 career goals and sits in 12th place on the all-time scoring list. This was the first game in her career in which she had four assists in one game. She joins Carli Lloyd as the only players during the last two years with a goal and 3+ assists in a match. Rapinoe now has 50 career assists, which ties her with Lloyd for ninth all-time.
- Alex Morgan scored a brace for the second consecutive time today to up her career total to 85 international goals. She has scored five goals in 2018, a team-leading mark she shares with Mallory Pugh. It was her 140th cap today, and at age 28 she sits in sole possession of seventh place on the USA's all-time goal scoring list. She’s scored 12 goals in her last 13 WNT matches. The brace was the 19th of her career and her 22nd multi-goal game.
- Mallory Pugh scored her team-leading fifth goal of 2018 today (tied with Morgan) in her 35th cap. She also made her 27th career start and is second all-time in starts before the age of 20 behind only Tiffany Roberts (41). Pugh now has 11 career goals and is tied in third with Christie Welsh for goals before the age of 20 behind Cindy Parlow-15 and Mia Hamm-14. This was Pugh’s final WNT game as a teenager. She will turn 20 on April 29.
- Lindsey Horan scored her fifth career goal today in her 49th cap. It was her first of 2018.
- Jane Campbell made her first start today in earning her third cap. She previously had played the second 45 minutes of two games, first on April 6, 2017 against Russia, and again on Oct. 22, 2017 against Korea Republic. Her first cap last April also took place at BBVA Compass Stadium, where she plays for the Houston Dash. Campbell is the first new GK to start for the WNT since Alyssa Naeher on Dec. 18, 2014. She was replaced by Ashlyn Harris in 67th minute.
- Three young players earned first caps today: Hailie Mace (21), Haley Hanson (22) and Tegan McGrady (20). The last time the USA had more than two first caps in one game was Oct. 19, 2016 vs. Switzerland.
