History was on the U.S. women's soccer team's side this afternoon as they met New Zealand in the London Olympic quarterfinals. Not only had the Americans reached the semifinals of every major tournament (6 World Cups, 4 Olympics, 7 CONCACAFs) they had ever played in but they were also 8-1-0 all-time against New Zealand.
It wasn't as easy as probably most expected but Pia Sundhage's squad got the job done with a 2-0 victory. Now, they'll meet neighborly rival Canada (2-0 winners vs. Great Britain) in Monday's semifinals (2:45 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network) at Old Trafford, home of Manchester United.
For a team that is so powerful offensively, let it be noted that the U.S. (4-0-0) hasn't allowed a goal since the first 15 minutes against France in their opening London Olympics match. Goalkeeper Hope Solo and her defense deserve credit for their third straight shutout but let's be real: it's hard for opponents to score when they simply can never possess the ball.
Abby Wambach scored in the 27th minute (her 142th all-time, 16 behind Mia Hamm for the No. 1 spot in U.S. history) and the youngest member of the team-Sydney Leroux-picked up her first Olympic goal (5th of her international career) in the 87th minute. Wambach has scored in five straight Olympic games, including all four in London.
Wambach's partner in crime up top-Alex Morgan-was also on the scoresheet since she provided the assist on Wambach's strike. Morgan worked down the left side of the box, used quick feet to get her defender wobbly before threading it into the perfect spot where only Wambach could get it. She redirected it in for the 1-0 lead.
Morgan had a great chance to score, before Wambach's goal, as she went in alone on New Zealand's goalkeeper Jenny Bindon but she put it into the side netting.
This was the first knockout round game for New Zealand in any competition and their inexperience finally started to pop up in the second half. They never really put any heat on Solo and Morgan had three good chances to increase the lead to 2-0. She put another shot into the side netting after she stole the ball from a defender. Shortly after that, she was taken down in the box in what could easily have been called a penalty kick. Finally, Bindon stuffed Morgan by going almost out of her 18-yard box.
Bindon showed her toughness when she was kneed right in the face by Morgan but didn't come out of the game. Carli Lloyd picked up a yellow card in the 79th minute for a clumsy challenge. New Zealand kept trying long shots on Solo but I guess they didn't know that those will never be successful. The best they could do was take a shameful dive in the box, attempting to draw a penalty kick.
Leroux subbed in for Morgan in the 81st minute and almost immediately, she made things happen. After making a great run, she crossed it to Heather O'Reilly, who couldn't get a shot off before being surrounded. Her goal was a glimpse of what makes her such a promising talent. Not only did she fight off a defender but then she had the calmness to take her time and get a somewhat powerful shot on goal that trickled through Bindon's legs.
France vs. Japan is the first semifinal on Monday (12 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network) and honestly, after watching Japan dismantle Brazil 2-0 this afternoon and remembering their recent history, I'm glad that the U.S. wouldn't face them until the final. They are clearly their biggest obstacle. Canada (2-1-1) is playing well and they looked good when they met the U.S. right before the World Cup in a friendly. Still, France (3-1-0)-who led 2-0 against the U.S. in the first match-and Japan (2-0-2) who beat them in the 2011 World Cup Final are more formidable as far as I'm concerned.
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