- Lavelle leads USWNT to 5-0 win
- Comes after a four-goal win earlier in the week
- U.S. now look ahead to SheBelieves Cup
TELL ME MORE: Starting for an injured Alex Morgan, Ashley Hatch opened the scoring in the 22nd minute on an assist from Trinity Rodman, who assisted two goals in the first of these two friendlies. The lead was doubled 17 minutes later by Rose Lavelle, who gave the U.S. a 2-0 advantage going into halftime.
To start the second half, Mallory Swanson made it three, having been the start of the first friendly with two goals. Lavelle added her second for the USWNT's fourth, while a header from Taylor Kornieck completed the rout.
THE MVP: Rose Lavelle was probably the big star of the match, but it's hard not to consider Mallory Swanson as the star of the camp. After scoring twice in the opener, Swanson got another in this one, helping further her case for a World Cup roster spot in a very, very crowded pool of USWNT forward options.
THE BIG LOSER: It's hard to pick out anyone from the USWNT side, but it is fair to say that New Zealand would have hoped for better from these two games. In a way, they were a success as the two friendlies drew record crowds while offering the team a taste of World Cup competition. However, back-to-back lopsided results can only help so much for New Zealand, who were, admittedly, short-handed and without some key players. Upcoming matches against Portugal and Argentina will probably be a bit more helpful as they gear up for a World Cup group featuring Norway, the Philippines and Switzerland.
MATCH IN THREE PHOTOS:
Next Match
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WHAT NEXT? Next up for the USWNT is the SheBelieves Cup in February, which should provide a much bigger challenge ahead of the World Cup.
The U.S. will face Canada, Japan and Brazil as part of the SheBelieves Cup with one eye set on this summer's tournament.
MATCH RATING (OUT OF FIVE): ⭐⭐⭐