Posted on January 22, 2012
By Michael Lewis
TropiGol.com Editor
VANCOUvER — A relentless United States team picked up where it left off against the Dominican Republic, rolling to a 13-0 triumph over Guatemala in the CONCACAF Olympic women’s qualifying tournament on Sunday.
The victory secured a spot for the Americans (2-0) in Friday’s semifinals and set up a confrontation with Mexico (2-0), 7-0 winners over the Dominicans in the opening game of the doubleheader at BC Place. The U.S. needs a tie or a win to clinch first-place because of superior goal differential.
For the second consecutive game, a halftime suby led the American scoring parade. Vancouver native Sydney Leroux struck for five goals, equaling Amy Rodriguez’s record for a CONCACAF final round qualifying mark that was set on Friday.
Striker Abby Wambach tallied the first two goals, raising her international total to 129. She has tallied a record 12 goals in the final CONCACAF qualifying record, one ahead of Canada’s Christine Sinclair and Mexico’s Maribel Dominguez.
Rodriguez, who scored five goals in the second half of the 14-0 demolition of the Dominican Republic on Friday, added a goal to give her a tournament-best six.
Wambach started the assault by striking in the 12th and 14th minutes. Right fullback Heather Mitts started the scoring sequence on Wambach’s first goal, passing to Megan Rapinoe in the middle of the field outside of the penalty area. Rapinoe then sent a short through ball to Wambach, who went in unmarked and beat goalkeeper Maricruz Lemus from six yards.
Barely two minutes later, Wambach had a brace as she headed home Lauren Cheney’s free kick from the left side from six yards for a 2-0 American advantage.
The Guatemalans came tantalizing close to cutting the lead in half in the 24th minute when Maria Monterroso’s header hit the woodwork and bounded out of bounds.
Only 38 seconds later, the U.S. pulled away to a three-goal lead as Cheney lobbed Lemus from 12 yards.
Wambach turned playmaker in the 29th minute as he led Rodriguez with a pass on the left side. As four Guatemalans raced to catch up to Rodriguez, the USA striker powered a shot into the left side from 18 yards for a 4-0 lead.
The U.S. continued to attack the Central Americans’ goal as midfielder Carli Lloyd headed in a Kelly O’Hara left-wing cross in the 33rd minute to make it 5-0 in the 34th minute.
In an almost identical play a minute later, Lori Lindsey headed home an O’Hara cross from six yards for the U.S.’s sixth goal. It was Lindsey’s first international goal.
Showing that she was human, Wambach hit the woodwork not once, but twice within seconds in the 40th minute. She banged a right-footed shot off the crossbar. The ball came directly back to the Rochester, N.Y. native and she fired a shot that hit the right post. No, Wambach did not get an opportunity to aim for the left upright, at least not in that sequence.
At halftime, U.S. coach Pia Sundhage replaced starters Lloyd, Wambach and Cheney with Shannon Boxx, Leroux and Alex Morgan, respectively.
Le Roux turned into the Rodriguez of this match as she had a hat-trick only 12 minutes after entering the match, scoring three goals within a nine-minute span.
Leroux, who was booed a bit when she was introduced at the start of the second half, put away a Morgan feed in the 48th minute, headed in a Rodriguez cross from the left flank in the 51st minute and slid a Moran feed from the right side past the keeper in the 57th minute for a 9-0 lead.
The Vancouver native added her fourth goal in the 70th minute as she headed in an O’Hara cross from the left side to take the tally to 10 goals.
Goal No. 11 came five minutes later as Megan Rapinoe scored and Morgan, off a Mitts feed, added a 12th goal as she had an easy tap-in when Lemus came out of the net in the 83rd minute.
Leroux scored goal No. 5 in the 87th minute as A-Rod beat her marker down the left side and slotted a pass to her for a 13-0 advantage.
Categories: Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Olympic Qualifying, U.S.A., Women
Tags: Abby Wambach, Amy Rodriguez, CONCACAF women's Olympic qualifying tournament, Sydney Leroux
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