Mallory Swanson continued her hot streak by scoring two goals as the U.S. women’s national team defeated Canada 2-0 in its first match of the SheBelieves Cup on Thursday at Orlando, Fla.
Swanson scored in the seventh and 34th minutes, giving her five goals in the national team’s first three games of the year.
She made it 1-0, scoring in her fourth straight match, after a setup by Alex Morgan. Swanson half-volleyed a shot from 15 yards out.
The play was part of a strong start that saw Swanson and Ashley Sanchez fire shots on goal within the opening three minutes.
Swanson extended the lead to 2-0 in the 34th minute with a right-footed strike from the center of the box for her 30th international goal in 85 games. She picked off an errant back pass and beat goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan for the easy score.
U.S. goalie Alyssa Naeher preserved the lead just before halftime with a lunging save of a Janine Beckie shot from outside the box. Naeher also stopped a header by Jordyn Huitema in the 74th minute.
Her third save came in the 91st minute on a header from Vanessa Gilles.
The eighth edition of the tournament features a round-robin between four of the top teams in the world, headed by the No. 1 U.S. squad. Canada is sixth. Brazil No. 9 and Japan 11th.
Brazil defeated Japan 1-0 in the first match of the doubleheader. The next games are in Nashville on Sunday, when the U.S. will play Japan while Brazil faces Canada. The Americans will conclude against Brazil on Wednesday at Frisco, Texas.
The first SheBelieves Cup was won by the Americans in 2016. France was the champion in 2017 and England took the title in 2019. The U.S. is a five-time winner, including 2018 and the past three editions.
Under the format, the winner is decided by total points (three for a win, one for a tie) with tiebreakers used if needed.
–Field Level Media