Catarina Macario Brace Powers Usa Women Past Italy In Orlando Friendly

Cat Macario scored 2 goals and nan United States defeated Italy 3-0 connected Saturday nighttime successful a friends lucifer astatine Inter&Co Stadium.

It was nan first of 2 friendlies betwixt nan teams, pinch nan 2nd scheduled for 1 December successful Fort Lauderdale.

Olivia Moultrie besides scored while goalkeeper Claudia Dickey earned nan shutout successful conscionable her 5th quality astatine nan elder level.

“I deliberation evidently we wanted to support building connected nan performances we had past camp, and nan accent connected coming retired beardown and sticking to our principles, and I deliberation that’s what we did,” said US seasoned Rose Lavelle, who earned her 116th cap. “Overall, I deliberation a really bully squad performance.”

The United States wasted nary clip successful attacking Italy’s goalie Laura Giuliani, scoring wrong nan first 2 minutes.

Fresh disconnected their NWSL title pinch Gotham, Lilly Reale recovered teammate Lavelle to commencement nan sequence. Lavelle past went wide to Alyssa Thompson, who quickly returned nan ball. Lavelle recovered Moultrie, who went acold broadside for her 2nd extremity successful arsenic galore appearances pinch nan team.

“We talked astir starting accelerated and starting strong, and I deliberation nan momentum carried out,” Moultrie said. “We had a really bully week of training, truthful I consciousness for illustration it flowed into nan first minutes of nan game.”

An offside telephone connected Lavelle astatine nan 48-minute people denied Moultrie her 2nd goal.

In nan 64th minute, Sam Coffey dribbled down nan mediate and recovered Macario breaking connected her left. Macario took nan walk and fired a changeable acold broadside to springiness nan United States a two-goal lead.

Macario added her 2nd successful nan 76th infinitesimal erstwhile she snared a walk from nan team’s youngest player, 18-year-old Lily Yohannes, and fired a changeable from nan apical of nan correct broadside of nan container to nan acold broadside of nan goal.

It was Macario’s 15th extremity successful 28 world appearances. Macario has now been progressive successful 18 goals successful her past 14 US appearances.

“It was a awesome win, it’s ever a pleasance being pinch this team,” said Macario, who has 12 goals and six assists since February of 2022. “I consciousness truthful happy to beryllium successful this environment, and I consciousness for illustration it really conscionable helps you beryllium nan champion type of yourself.

“Lucky capable that [US coach Emma Hayes] knows maine very well, and she knows what I tin bring to nan team. This was a bully twelvemonth ... successful which I person conscionable been trying to find immoderate consistency ... conscionable trying to find my rhythm.”