USWNT v. Trinidad & Tobago: HD Rio Olympics Qualifier Semifinal w/Pre-, Half- & Post-Match - 2-19-16

The USWNT earned a berth to its sixth consecutive Olympic Games with a 5-0 win against Trinidad & Tobago ("T&T") in the semifinal of the 2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship held in Houston, Texas in front of a surprisingly small crowd of just 5,561 people at BBVA Compass Stadium, home to the NWSL's Houston Dash, on February 19th, 2016.
Alex Morgan’s third career hat trick led the way for the USA as she scored once in the first half and twice in the second, while Tobin Heath and Carli Lloyd also tallied. Lloyd increased her goals in Olympic Qualifying to 12 and is just two goals away from tying Abby Wambach’s record of 14 career goals in this tournament.
Hope Solo earned her 94th career shutout and recorded her 143rd win, further extending her U.S. records.
On the other end, T&T goalkeeper Kimika Forbes made more than a few excellent saves to keep the score down or the US onslaught could have been worse.
Goal Scoring Summary:
USA - Tobin Heath (assist: Mallory "Mal" Pugh), 12th minute: Mallory Pugh sprinted past a defender down the left flank and cut a pass on the ground back into the middle. Heath made a hard run into the box and beat her defender to the ball to send a powerful spinning left-footed strike into the right side of the net. The goal was Heath’s first since the 2015 Women’s World Cup Final against Japan, USA 1, TRI 0.
USA - Alex Morgan (assist: Lindsey Horan), 30th minute: Kelley O’Hara sent a fantastic cross from the right side that Lindsey Horan got under near the far post and headed the ball back into the middle where Alex Morgan was waiting. Morgan used the inside of her left foot to tap it home for her 60th international goal. USA 2, TRI 0.
USA - Carli Lloyd (assist: Morgan Brian), 43rd minute: Morgan Brian took a USA corner kick from the right and Carli Lloyd met the cross in the middle of the box to send a powerful header that slipped through the arms and legs of kneeling T&T goalkeeper, Kimika Forbes, who up until then was having a fantastic game, her first real mistake of the night. USA 3, TRI 0.
USA - Alex Morgan (unassisted), 71st minute: Samantha Mewis headed the ball on goal but T&T defender Jennelle Cunningham was able to clear the ball off the goal line. Alex Morgan jumped on the clearance inside the six-yard box and again headed it on goal but Cunningham once again cleared it out, this time with her head. Morgan then pounced on the second rebound and this time blasted home a left-footed shot for her second goal of the match. USA 4, TRI 0.
USA - Alex Morgan (assist: Morgan Brian), 72nd minute: Julie Johnston passed the ball to Morgan Brian who was just outside the penalty area. Brian then crossed it to the middle of the area where Alex Morgan volleyed it inside of the right post to complete her third career hat trick. USA 5, TRI 0.
Key Saves and Defensive Stops:
TRI - Kimika Forbes, 3rd minute: Meghan Klingenberg slipped a pass into the penalty area for Alex Morgan on the left side. Morgan fired hard and low, but Kimika Forbes did a great job to put her body in front of the ball and blocked the attempt with her legs to keep the game scoreless early on.
TRI - Kimika Forbes, 22nd minute: Carli Lloyd outran a pair of defenders into the box and blasted a powerful attempt to the middle of the net but Kimika Forbes, once again alert batted the ball away.
TRI - Kimika Forbes, 29th minute: Carli Lloyd fed Alex Morgan into the left side of the penalty area, but Forbes once again used her body well to block the shot with her legs.

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