July 1, 2005

30 June 2005

The USA World Cup team held Team Scotland off the scoreboard today, allowing only five shots while winning 18 of the 25 draws, with Quinn Carney and Cherie Greer each winning three. Both Jess Wilk and Chris Lindsey made two saves for the Americans, while at the other end Crista Samaras led all players with six points on three goals and three assists. Randall Goldsborough also had six points (four goals, two assists), while Lauren Aumiller added four goals and Dani Gallagher added four assists.

Kelly Amonte Hilller won the opening draw to herself, but the Americans turned the ball over before they were able to set anything up. An errant pass on the Scotland clear was picked up by Aumiller, but the teams again traded turnovers, with Jo Connelly getting the ground ball after Team Scotland lost the ball out of bounds. Connelly fed the ball to Kara Cooke, who carried the ball up and sent it over to Gallagher behind the cage. Gallagher passed the ball into Sommar who was alone in the arc. Sommar scored at 2:38 to put the USA up 1-0.

Connelly won the draw but the Americans turned the ball over and the Scots brought the ball upfield where Sommar caused a turnover in the American defensive arc and picked up the loose ball. Cooke brought the ball upfield and the Stars and Stripes settled their attack. Amonte Hiller took possession of the ball behind the cage and dumped a pass into Samaras, who scored two minutes after Sommar to put the USA up 2-0.

Carney won the ensuing draw and the Americans again settled their attack before Amonte Hiller got the ball behind and fed it into a cutting Samaras, who scored 33 seconds after her first goal to out the USA up 3-0. Greer won the next draw and the Americans worked the ball up to Carney, who got off a shot but the Americans recovered the ball behind. They worked it back up to Carney, who drove in from the top and scored 1:04 after Samaras. A Sommar draw control gave the US possession, but again the Americans turned the ball over before Cooke caused a turnover and picked up a loose ball to give the Americans the ball again. The Yanks settled the ball again and tried for a drive, but lost it in the arc briefly. Greer collected the loose ball and took it in for a goal, forcing Scotland to take a timeout.

Amonte Hiller won the next draw off a Scotland foul, and she passed the ball right to Greer, who raced in from the midfield to score just 10 seconds after her previous goal. She then won the ensuing draw, and the Americans advanced the ball upfield before turning it over. The Scots threw the ball away on the attempted clear, and Cooke picked up the loose ball. Gallagher got it, and led Connelly with a pass. Connelly stuck it in the net and the Americans took a 7-0 lead.

Again Greer collected the draw control, and the Yanks settled the attack before Kate Kaiser took it in from the top, eluded a defender, and scored the Americans' eighth goal of the game. The Scots won the draw, but Gallagher caused a turnover and Samaras was there to pick up the loose ball. The teams again turned the ball over to each other, with Greer scooping up the loose ball and leading Goldsborough with a pass that she stuck in the goal.

Kaiser won the draw and was fouled on the collection, setting up a free position. She led Aumiller with a pass, and Aumiller took it in from the 15 right to the cage, scoring 23 seconds after Goldsborough to put the Americans in double digits. Bonnie Rosen won the ensuing draw, and the Yanks settled their attack. Nelson chased down a pass near the sideline, and she passed it to Goldsborough behind the cage, who fed a cutting Aumiller, who scored her second consecutive goal just 34 seconds after her first. Scotland won the draw, but Kaiser caused a turnover and picked up the ground ball. She got the ball to Goldsborough behind the cage, who fed Aumiller cutting through the arc. Aumiller quicksticked the ball into the net for her third goal in a span of 53 seconds, giving the USA a 12-0 lead.

The Scots won the the draw and took it right to the cage where they got off a shot, but Jess Wilk was there to make the save to preserve the shutout. Wilk fed Rachael Becker, who in turn passed the ball up to Gallagher, who helped settle the American attack. From behind the cage Nelson fed Samaras, who cut to the cage and quicksticked the ball into the net for a goal.

Nelson won the draw control and Carney quickly got off a shot that was saved, but Team Scotland threw the ball away and Kaiser was there to pick up the ground ball. The Americans re-attacked, and Goldsborough drove in from the top, scoring an unassisted goal at 16:44.

Becker won the draw control and the Americans got the ball to Greer, whose shot was saved, but the Americans kept possession, gathering the loose ball. Samaras drove to the cage, drew her defender, and fed Carney, who scored her second goal of the game. Carney then won the draw control, and the Americans set their attack where Kaiser drove in from the top, scoring 90 seconds after Carney. Carney again won the draw, and a Nelson shot was saved but Carney collected the loose ball. Samaras drew a shooting space foul, but she pulled out and got the ball to Goldsborough, whose shot was saved. On the clear, Becker caused a turnover and picked up the loose ball in the American defensive arc, giving the USA possession. At the other end of the field, the Stars and Stripes settled their attack before Carney fed Gallagher, who scored a behind the back goal at 27:20.

Samaras won the draw, and the Americans again settled for the final shot of the half. At the top of the arc, Rosen fed Becker, who took the ball to the cage and scored her first goal of the tournament at 29:15. Carney won the draw and Nelson got off a shot, and the Scots had one final chance, but Strohsova's shot was saved by Wilk, to give the USA an 18-0 lead at the break.

The Scots won the opening draw of the second half, but Rosen intercepted a pass in the defensive arc and the Americans attacked. A Kaiser shot was saved, but the Yanks kept possession. Samaras drew a shooting space foul, and she passed out of it to Amonte Hiller, who scored her first goal of the game at 32:48. Nelson won the draw, but the Americans lost the ball out of bounds. Again Rosen intercepted a pass in the defensive arc, and she got the ball to Chris Lindsey, who threw the ball 70 yards on a clear. The Americans settled the ball and Samaras dumped the ball into Goldsborough, who quicksticked the ball into the cage for the Yanks' 20th goal of the game at 36:30.

Team Scotland won the draw but a pass was intercepted by Kaiser, and the Americans attacked quickly as Greer led Goldsborough with a pass into the arc, and Goldsborough converted it for her second consecutive goal, scoring 3:10 after her previous one.

Again the Scots won the draw, and they took the ball upfield where their first shot went wide, but they kept possession. Their next shot was saved by Lindsey, and she cleared the ball to Goldsborough, who advanced the ball upfield. A Greer shot was saved, but Becker kept possession for the Americans. The Yanks turned the ball over, and at the other end of the field Lindsey made another save to keep the Scots off the scoreboard. In the Americans' offensive zone, an Aumiller shot was saved and the Scots cleared the ball.

Wilk, who had entered the game as a field player, caused a turnover and Cooke was there to pick up the loose ball. The Americans settled their attack, and Gallagher took the ball behind the cage before firing it in to Carney, who scored at 50:28.

Samaras again won the draw, and a Becker shot gave the ball to the Scots. Nelson intercepted the ball at the restraining line, and the Americans attacked again as Gallagher brought the ball behind the cage and fed a cutting Aumiller, who scored at 55:07 for the Yanks' 23rd goal of the game. Sommar won the draw, and the Americans ran out the clock, setting up a semifinal date with the English at 5:00 on Friday, July 1 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.