International Recap: Four OL Reign Players Made Appearances Over the Weekend
Australia vs. Brazil
In a physical game between two sides that have formed a rivalry over the years, Australia came away with a 3-1 win over Brazil at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta, Australia on Saturday. OL Reign midfielder Angelina was available on the bench but did not make an appearance in the match.
The first half of the game was evenly matched, both teams attempting to find the weakness of the other. Brazil was forced to do a lot of defending, as Australia found many attacking opportunities up both sides of the field.
The first half deadlock was broken by Australia, just minutes before half time. Steph Catley’s free kick found the head of Sam Kerr. Kerr headed the ball across the face of goal rather than towards it and straight into the path of the oncoming Clare Polkinghorne to tap into the net in the 38th minute. Australia went into halftime with the 1-0 lead.
Brazil started the second half by testing the Australian defense, but their backline and goalkeeper remained strong. Australia doubled their lead in the 66th minute when Emily van Egmond found the Brazil defense ball watching and played a ball into Fowler, who was able to head the ball home.
However, Brazil responded immediately. They took advantage of a poorly controlled ball and Adriana hit a good shot in the 68th minute to make the score 2-1. Brazil gained some offensive momentum as they searched for the equalizer.
Australia found a third goal in the 80th minute to solidify their victory. Fowler and Kerr combined in the build-up. Kerr played Steph Catley out wide. She took the ball to the by line before crossing it back for van Egmond to hit home.
Australia came away with the 3-1 win, but the two teams play again on Tuesday, October 26 at 2:05 a.m. PT.
Canada vs. New Zealand
Olympic gold medal winning Canada came away with a 5-1 win over New Zealand on Saturday. This match featured OL Reign midfielders Quinn and Rosie White, playing 64 minutes for Canada and 45 minutes for New Zealand respectively.
Canada opened the scoring of the match in just the 12th minute when they were awarded a penalty kick. Jessie Fleming stepped up to the spot and confidently slotted the ball passed Erin Nayler in goal. Canada was on the front foot, with momentum in their favor.
The Canadian team found one more goal before the end of the first half, courtesy of Christine Sinclair. Sinclair cleaned up some sloppy play in the New Zealand 18-yard box and struck the ball into the upper right corner of the goal.
After halftime, Canada struck first again. This time it was Nichelle Prince, in the 57th minute. Prince received the ball at the top of the six-yard box and took one touch to beat the goalkeeper before finding the back of the net.
New Zealand found a goal back in the 71st minute on a Ria Percival penalty kick. That wasn’t enough to begin a New Zealand comeback though, as Canadian but Adriana Leon notched a brace before the end of the match, scoring back-to-back goals in the 75th and 82nd minute to put Canada up 5-1.
The two teams go head-to-head again on Tuesday, October 26 at 4:30 p.m. PT.
Mexico vs. Argentina
Mexico firmly beat Argentina on Saturday, by a score of 6-1. OL Reign defender Jimena López played all 90 minutes for Mexico.
Argentina was the team to get off to a quick start, scoring the opening goal of the match just 11 minutes in. Florencia Bonsegundo notched the early lead for Argentina, but the game was quickly turning in favor of Mexico. Mexico began to dominate the match but did not score their first goal until the 41st minute, when Stephany Mayor capitalized on a penalty kick. She scored another goal immediately after, in the 42nd minute to send Mexico to halftime up 2-1.
Mexico scored again immediately after halftime, thanks to Alison Gonzalez in the 46th minute of the match. Mexico really took control of the match at that point, adding another goal in the 50th minute from Maria Sanchez to make the score 4-1.
Gonzalez struck again in the 67th minute to earn herself a brace and Joseline Montoya scored the final goal of the match in the 85th minute to secure a 6-1 victory for Mexico. Three players made their debut for Mexico – Anika Rodríguez, Myra Delgadillo and Cinthya Peraza.
Costa Rica vs. Jamaica
After previously falling to Jamaica, Costa Rica came away with a scoreless draw against the team on Sunday. OL Reign midfielder Shirley Cruz started the match and played all 90 minutes for Costa Rica.
Costa Rica got off to a very rough start in the match, going down to 10-players in the sixth minute due to Katherine Alvarado getting a red card. Costa Rica had to adjust the way they approached the game and had to do a lot of defending to keep the score level.
Jamaica was dominating the match, with 67% of possession, but could not find the back of the net. Throughout the game, Costa Rica took three shots, but not a single one was on target. In contrast, Jamaica took 19 shots and managed to put eight on target. Despite this, the game remained scoreless.
Though Jamaica dominated both halves and had a one player advantage nearly the whole match, the score remained 0-0 throughout the entire match, much to Costa Rica’s relief and Jamaica’s disappointment.