 |
Boston College |
Miami |
|
|
|
|
  |
USA defeats Australians 7-5 in World Cup, Wilk and Ariza save and score
July 8, 2001 Kara Ariza's (Virginia '98) second goal 20 minutes into the second half gave the Americans a 7-2 lead and the Stars and Stripes held on to defeat the Australians 7-5 in pool play in the 2001 IFWLA World Cup today. Ariza scored the sixth and seventh goals for the Americans, who defeated the Aussies 3-2 in triple overtime to win the 1997 World Cup. Her first goal came with three seconds remaining in the first half to send the Americans into the break with a 6-2 lead. Keepers Jess Wilk (UVa head hockey coach) and Sue Heether both notched three saves each to anchor the American defense. The Aussies won the opening draw and took the ball straight down where they took a quick shot that was saved by Wilk. Quinn Carney scooped up the ground ball and the Americans took it downfield where Michele Uhlfelder was awarded an 11-meter for a shove in the arc.Her shot was saved and the Aussie gained possession. But the Americans regained possession in the midfield with a stick check by Jojo Connelly and a ground ball by Sarah Nelson. The USA got the ball to Cherie Greer who drove the right side of the cage and flipped the ball to Randall Flynn who was in the center of the arc. Flynn's goal 2:36 into the game was the opening marker and gave the USA the 1-0 lead for the second game in a row. Australia won the draw again but lost the ball in the arc and Wilk scooped it out of the air. The Americans worked it down to their offensive arc but lost the ball. Carney checked the ball out of the Aussie stick and Kristin Sommar picked up the ball to reset the American offense. The Americans lost the ball again, but Dani Gallagher stripped the ball from the Green and Gold in the American offensive arc and Uhlfelder picked it up. Kelly Amonte rolled the crease from the right side and bounced her shot into the back of the net, giving the USA a 2-0 lead with 24:40 to play. Again the Australians controlled the draw but they lost it in the midfield and Amonte scooped up the ground ball. Greer's shot on the crease was saved and the Aussies moved the ball down quickly and scored at the 22:26 mark to cut the lead to one. Australia won the draw again, but Greer knocked the ball loose and Bonnie Rosen jumped on the ground ball. The Stars and Stripes moved downfield and Gallagher found Sarah Nelson open on the crease for a quickstick goal a minute after the Aussies scored, giving the USA a 3-1 lead. Gallagher won the next draw, but the Americans lost possession in the offensive arc. Connelly stripped the ball as the Aussies were clearing and the USA reset the offense. Greer was awarded an 11-meter on the outside hash but the Americans pulled out. They then turned the ball over and the Aussies worked the ball downfield where a point blank shot was saved by Wilk. Again the Americans worked the ball to their offensive arc and Gallagher took a shot that was saved. Carney picked up the ground ball and the Americans reset. Sommar drove into the arc from the top of the arc on the left and found Nelson in the center. Sommar dumped the ball into Nelson who took a step and flipped the shot in at 15:09. giving the USA a 4-1 lead. Carney won the next draw and the Americans were awarded an 11-meter shot. After electing to pull out, the Stars and Stripes lost the ball and the Aussies took it down to their offensive end. A USA crease violation turned the ball back over to the Aussies, but they lost the ball and it was picked up by Sommar. On the fast break the Uhlfelder hit the pipe but she picked up her own ground ball. A three-second violation gave the USA an 11-meter position on the center hash, and Amonte converted it for the Eagles with a low shot, giving the Yanks a 5-1 lead with 7:28 to play. Ariza won the next draw for the US and the Americans worked for a shot. Carney's shot was saved and the Aussies won the ground ball and took it down field. A shove gave the Green and Gold an 11-meter, but Wilk made the save and the Americans brought the ball back to their end. A Christie Jenkins shot went wide and Erin Brown got the ground ball, but the Aussies stole it as the Americans were working their offense and on the fast break the Australians scored with 32 seconds left in the half. But the Americans answered, as Ariza won the draw and took it down to the arc, where she worked free and fired a shot high to the corner, scoring with three seconds remaining and giving the Yanks a 6-2 lead going into the break. Australia won the opening draw of the second half and again got off an early shot, but again it was saved by the Americans, this time Sue Heether who had come in to start the second half. Her long clear was knocked loose by the Aussies in their defensive third, but the Aussies turned the ball back over as Amonte intercepted a pass in the American backfield. The two teams turned the ball over twice each in the next couple of minutes before the Aussies were able to maintain possession in the arc and get off a shot. It too, was saved by Heether and the Americans took the ball downfield. Brown's shot from a crease roll was saved and the Aussies started a clear that was broken up by Amonte. But the Americans lost it soon after before Connelly stripped the ball from the Aussies. The Americans were awarded an 11-meter but again pulled out. The Aussies got the ball back but on the clear lost the ball when they were called for creeping. On the turnover which became a fast break, Amonte's shot was saved and the Aussies brought the ball back down to their offensive end. Heether intercepted an opposite post feed and the Americans regained control. In the offensive arc, Uhlfelder was awarded an 11-meter but her shot was saved, giving possesion to the Aussies. Their next shot was saved by Heether, but the Americans lost the ball on the clear. An Australian 11-meter was pulled out, and Greer stripped the ball to give the USA possession. Uhlfelder's shot was saved, and the Aussies worked the ball back downfield. Connelly was called for a foul in the arc, and on the 11-meter the Americans blocked the shot out front and Heether picked up the ground ball. Heether's long clear to the other arc was picked up by the Americans, who got the ball to Ariza,who worked around in the arc and scored, giving the USA their largest lead of the game at 7-2 with 10:41 to play. But the Aussies were not done. After Carney won the next draw, the Australians gained control when a clearing pass went astray and they scored on the fast break with 7:20 to go in the game and the USA holding a 7-3 lead. Australia won the next draw and a foul in the arc gave the Green and Gold an 11-meter, which was converted by Sascha Newmarch, pulling the Aussies to within three at 6:15. Amonte won the next draw and the Americans worked for a shot, which was taken by Connelly. Jenkins got the ground ball, but the Americans lost possession again and the Aussies quickly took the ball upfield where they scored with 2:52 to play and down by only two. Connelly won the ensuing draw and the Americans held on, forcing a shooting space foul with two minutes to play. Flynn's shot was saved and the Aussies took the ball back down to their offensive end. A turnover by the crease gave the Americans possession as Heether scooped up the ground ball, and the USA held the ball to the final whistle. Kelly Amonte was named the player of the match. The Americans will face the host English tomorrow at 6:00 GMT (1:00 EST). The English (1-1) beat the Welsh team 13-1 today.
Linescore
|
|
 |
||||||
|
 |
||||||
