The United States women’s national team held off Japan for a 2-1 win on Saturday behind goals from Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Heaps. The game, which took place in San Jose, was the first of a three-match swing against the high-powered opponent.
Despite an early lead, the U.S. conceded a goal in the 61st minute as Japan turned up the heat. But the USWNT was able to hold on for a confident-looking win to start the series on a strong note.
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Rose Lavelle opened the scoring early in the matchup, taking a great ball in from Trinity Rodman and chipping it off the outside of her left foot. The ball took a deflection off Japan defender Hana Takahashi and into the net, giving the USWNT a 1-0 win in the ninth minute.
Minutes into the second half, the U.S. made it 2-0 after putting pressure on Japan in the box before Lindsey Heaps broke through on a rebound.
Japan, who is known for using pressure to create breakaway chances, had a couple of those big opportunities throughout the game — plus set piece chances off of their five corner kicks. But the U.S. defense held strong, with Emily Fox and Gisele Thompson each getting a big stop in the first half and goalkeeper Claudia Dickey picking up some key saves throughout the game.
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A quartet of substitutions for Japan in the 60th minute quickly changed the tide: One minute later, Japan finally broke with Riko Ueki staying just onside enough to head the ball past Dickey.
Even with the late pressure, the U.S. held the ball 61% of the time throughout the game, which is impressive against a possession-heavy team like Japan. The 2-1 victory is the U.S.’s 33rd win over Japan, with Japan only picking up the win twice in the storied rivalry.
USWNT head coach Emma Hayes continued to play with the lineup for the match, opting for the veteran midfield trio of Heaps, Lavelle and Sam Coffey but giving the start to younger players like defenders Thompson and Kennedy Wesley.
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The game also marked the first start for Sophia Wilson since giving birth to her first child in the fall. Wilson has been ramping up to her return to both the Portland Thorns and the USWNT; the star forward made her first start for the Thorns last month.
Hayes will get two more chances to experiment with the USWNT’s deep bench in this window: The U.S. will face Japan again on Tuesday in Seattle, before finishing the series in Commerce City, Colorado on Friday.
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