The US Women’s National Team (WNT) defeated Sweden today (4-0) to capture third place in Portugal’s Annual Algarve Cup, while Germany defeated Japan (4-3) to claim a first place finish and the 2012 title.
For the US side, Alex Morgan recorded her first professional hat trick by netting three goals, with Abby Wambach contributing the final US goal during the 72nd minute of play.
The scoring started early when Morgan connected in the fourth minute, assisted by Heather O’Reilly. Morgan completed her hat trick before the half, scoring her second and third goals in the 33rd and 36th minutes respectively.
O’Reilly, Tobin Heath, Captain Christie Rampone, and Lauren Cheney all registered assists during the match. Goal keeper Hope Solo did not start today, back up keeper Nicole Barnhart got the call and completed the shut out.
Today’s match marked the first appearance by the WNT in a third-place match at the Algarve since 1998. It was Sweden’s third straight year competing for third.
Next up, the WNT travels to Japan to compete in two international friendly matches against Japan (April 1) and Brazil (April 3). Both matches will be televised on ESPN 2 and ESPN 3.
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