CONTACTDrew A. Bowman(704) 223-7347dabowman@ncsu.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 5, 2015

Early Heroics Lead United States to World Cup Title

The United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) opened the 2015 Women’s World Cup Title match, against Japan, with an historic onslaught of scoring. Motivated USWNT players were quicker to the ball from the opening whistle scoring four goals in the opening sixteen minutes. The United States took control of the title match in Vancouver, Canada on Sunday afternoon and never looked back. The 5-2 victory over Japan ended a 16-year FIFA Women’s World Cup drought for the United States. This also avenged a loss to Japan in the 2011 World Cup final in astonishing fashion. As many Americans were celebrating Independence Day weekend, the USWNT saved the best fireworks for last. It’s nearly unimaginable that a first-half hat-trick would lift the Stars and Stripes to their third women’s international title, most in women’s FIFA history. The United States had been commended for great defensive play not surrendering a goal in the last 539 minutes, six seconds from a FIFA record. However, had faced criticism for lackluster offensive performance most of the tournament. Carli Lloyd and the United States offense exploded to shock the world. 2:35 into the first half, a Megan Rapinoe pass found Carli Lloyd who scored her first of three goals from near the penalty spot. The dominate United States crowd celebrated, incredibly it was about to get even better for the Stars and Stripes. 4:30 into the game, a low free-kick from Lauren Holiday found its way to Lloyd who applied the finishing touch from close range. Suddenly, the USA was up 2-0 inside of five minutes and Lloyd had scored the two fastest goals in Women’s World Cup Final history. When Japan’s central defender Azusa Iwashimizu failed to deal with a Tobin Heath delivery, Holiday latched onto the loose ball to volley home a third goal 13:40 into the game making the score 3-0. Less than fourteen minutes had elapsed but USA already had one hand on the trophy and Japan looked devastated. At 15:03, the contest was effectively ended as Lloyd completed her hat-trick with a goal that looked to be from the latest edition of EA Sport’s FIFA World Cup video game. Collecting the ball inside her own half, Lloyd advanced before unleashing a high shot from the halfway line over the head of Ayumi Kaihori. This 50-plus yard goal may be the most incredible of all-time. The half ended with the score 4-0 much to the delight of United States fans internationally. The United States eventually cruised to a comfortable 5-2 victory. This victory is one of the most incredible in United States soccer history and will be replayed by millions of females worldwide who have come to see these women as heroes. It’s moments like this that truly bring out the greatness of sports and show just how gifted these athletes really are. For the USWNT, it was an opportunity to represent their country in grand fashion. USWNT head coach Jill Ellis (former NC State assistant) quotes, “After 15 minutes, I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. We wanted to put them under pressure right from the start, and everything fell into place perfectly. To be honest, I couldn’t really have imagined things turning out better. However, I did know that my players were capable of doing something exceptional. That’s what they were

CONTACTDrew A. Bowman(704) 223-7347dabowman@ncsu.edu

born to do. The greater the pressure on their shoulders, the more they perform at a higher level. My backroom staff also did a fantastic job. We have a lot of respect for Japan, but tonight we were completely focused and were able to adapt our style of play perfectly.”

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