Ali Krieger, Alyssa Naeher Both Start As USWNT Advances To World Cup Round Of 16
Penn State women’s soccer alumnae Ali Krieger and Alyssa Naeher were both in the USWNT’s starting XI in its second group stage match at the Women’s World Cup in France.
Naeher made her second consecutive start in goal, and Krieger made her first appearance in the tournament as the United States beat Chile 3-0. The victory booked the Americans’ spot in the last 16 of the tournament, which is set to begin on June 22.
USWNT legend Carli Lloyd scored two goals as she extended her World Cup goal-scoring streak to six games. Lloyd opened the scoring in the 11th minute before adding a second 24 minutes later. Julie Ertz — the wife of Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz — scored her first World Cup goal in the 26th minute.
Unlike her first appearance, Naeher didn’t make a single save for the United States on Sunday. She wasn’t very busy as her team finished the match with 68 percent possession. Chile’s lack of ball possession meant that Krieger didn’t have much to do as the team’s starting right back, but she still put in a hard-working performance down the right flank.
Head coach Jill Ellis rotated her side quite a bit for the United States’ second match of the group stage. Krieger’s inclusion in the starting XI was one of seven changes she made following the team’s 13-0 thrashing of Thailand in the opener.
Although the Americans have booked their spot in the last 16, they’ll still have to play one more group stage match. The USWNT will take on Sweden — the No. 9 team in FIFA’s global rankings — at 3 p.m. Thursday, June 20 in Le Havre, France.
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