The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team let in a goal less than three minutes into the match, but tied the game just before halftime and got two more goals in the second half, all courtesy of striker Abby Wambach, to record a 3-1 victory over Japan on a rainy, misty day at KK Wing Stadium.

Japan shocked the U.S. team early as they scored off a corner kick when Azusa Iwashimizu got her head on Aya Miyama’s cross from the right side. The 10-yard shot flew past fully extended U.S. goalkeeper Hope solo, off the inside of the right post and bounced just over the goal line. It was the first international goal in just her second full international match for the 19-year-old Iwashimizu, who recently captained of the Japanese U-20 team in their failed attempt to qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Championship in Russia.

The goal marked the first time the U.S. team had fallen behind under head coach Greg Ryan, who was coaching his 17th game at the helm, and now has an all-time record of 13-0-4.

It took the USA until the 40th minute to get the equalizer, and that came on an extremely generous penalty kick decision from referee Pannipar Kamnueng of Thailand. The foul occurred in the 37th minute as U.S. captain Kristine Lilly lifted a pass into the left side of the penalty area for the charging Wambach. The U.S. forward and Japanese goalkeeper Miho Fukumoto crashed into each other inside the penalty area, with Fukumoto appearing to clear the ball just before contact, but Kamnueng pointed to the spot.

Fukomoto needed medical attention after her collision with the 5-foot-11 Wambach and the penalty shot wasn’t taken until the 40th minute, but Wambach shrugged off the delay and buried her chance into the right corner. Wambach, who missed her shot in the penalty shootout during the Algarve Cup championship game against Germany last Match, made no mistake this time, driving the ball low into the net as Fukumoto went the wrong way.

The field was quite slick after a night of rainfall and a steady fell mist during the game. The conditions made the playing surface extremely fast, but the Americas did well to pressure the Japanese in the midfield and the hosts managed just three shots on goal over the match, only two after scoring early on. Midfielder Shannon Boxx was a force in the middle of the field for the USA, winning countless tackles and sending several Japanese players flying on fifty-fifty challenges.

Wambach foreshadowed her big day just 40 seconds into the game as two header flicks after a long punt by Solo got her in behind the defense in the right side of the penalty area. Wambach smacked her shot to the far post, but Fukumoto dove low to her right to snag it. The Japanese goalkeeper, playing in just her seventh career match in place of injured starter Nozomi Yamago, did extremely well, showing confidence beyond her experience, but could do nothing on the winning goal.

It came in the 72nd minute after defender Cat Whitehill blasted a clearance from midway in the USA defensive half that flew far into the Japanese half over their back line and into the path of the thundering Wambach. She out-muscled a Japanese defender, who fell sprawled on the turf, then burst into the penalty box and smacked a left-footed shot off Fukomoto’s leg and into the roof of the net from 13 yards out.

Japan, which had seemed content with a draw when the score was 1-1, picked up the urgency in the last 15 minutes in search of a tying goal, but Solo came up with four big plays to diffuse any thoughts of a comeback. She made two tough catches in traffic, in the 78th and 88th minutes, punched a ball away from danger on another cross, and with a sliding smother, also swept a ball off the feet of a Japanese forward who had flashed through in the right side of the penalty area.

With Japan pressing forward, the U.S. stuck in one more, courtesy of some hard work from Lilly, who was playing in her world record 307th career match.

Lilly powered past Japanese captain Hiromi Isozaki on the left side of goal box all the way to the end line and then lifted a short pass in the air back to Wambach at the near post. Falling backwards, Wambach delicately re-directed the ball with her head from an almost impossible angle, bouncing it inside the right post from just four yards out.

The goals upped Wambach’s international total to 54 in just 71 games. It was also her fourth career hat track, which includes one five-goal game against Ireland in 2004.

The two teams will meet again in the second leg of the two-game tour on Tuesday, May 9, in Osaka as part of a doubleheader that also features the Japan Men’s National Team against Bulgaria. The U.S. team left for Osaka immediately after the game and will conduct one training session in Japan’s third largest city on Monday before finishing the tour on Tuesday at Nagai Stadium, which hosted matches in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Sierra Mist Woman of the Match: Abby Wambach

Scoring Summary:
JPN -- Azusa Iwashimizu (Aya Miyama) 3rd minute.
USA -- Abby Wambach (Penalty Kick) 40.
USA -- Abby Wambach (Cat Whitehill) 72.
USA -- Abby Wambach (Kristine Lilly) 89.

USA - 18-Hope Solo; 2-Heather Mitts, 4-Cat Whitehill, 14-Amy LePeilbet (8-Tina Frimpong, 46), 3-Christie Rampone (15-Stephanie Lopez, 59); 7-Shannon Boxx, 11-Carli Lloyd (12-Leslie Osborne, 83), 5-Lindsay Tarpley (10-Aly Wagner, 71); 9-Heather O’Reilly (6-Natasha Kai, 70), 20-Abby Wambach, 13-Kristine Lilly – Capt.
Subs not used: 1-Briana Scurry, 19-Christie Welsh.
Head Coach: Greg Ryan

JPN - 12-Miho Fukumoto; 2-Hiromi Isozaki – Capt., 7-Kozue Ando, 5-Kyouko Yano, 14-Azusa Iwashimizu; 6-Tomoe Sakai, 10-Homare Sawa, 19-Shinobu Ohno (23-Rumi Utsugi 75), 18-Iya Miyama, 11-Mio Otani (9-Eriko Arakawa, 63), 20-Yuki Nagasato (16-Karina Maruyama, 78).
Subs not used: 4-Nao Shikata, 13-Maiko Nakaoka, 15-Tomoko Suzuki, 17-Emi Yamamoto, 21-Tomomi Akiyama, 22-Nayuha Toyoda.
Head Coach: Hiroshi Ohashi

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Carli Lloyd (caution) 41st minute.

Referee: Pannipar Kamnueng (Thailand)
Asst. Referee: Hisae Yoshizawa (Japan)
Asst. Referee: Satomi Hamasaki (Japan)
4th Official: Hong Eun Ha (Korea Republic)
Attendance: 6,681
Weather: Rain, misty – 65 degrees

courtesy of ussoccer.com

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