USWNT plays Colombia to a scoreless draw
Alex Morgan struck the post and teenager Jaedyn Shaw made her U.S. debut
A strong defensive effort on both sides of the ball resulted in a 0-0 draw between the United States and Colombia in a friendly played on Thursday at America First Field in Sandy, Utah.
The match also featured several U.S. scoring chances and even a missed penalty kick late in the first half.
The U.S. created a handful of chances, but the clearest came after Trinity Rodman was dragged down inside the penalty box while battling for position on a corner kick just before halftime. Morgan stepped up to the spot and fired a powerful shot that hit the right post.
The second half told a similar tale. The U.S. did well to get into the final third, but failed to create any real scoring chances — a problem at the recent Women’s World Cup where the Americans crashed out in the round of 16.
Striker Ashley Hatch, a former BYU star, received a warm welcome from the Utah crowd after entering the game in the 67th minute. She did well and even came close to scoring in the 74th minute, but goalkeeper Natalia Giraldo parried the ball out for a corner kick.
Another second-half sub, Jaedyn Shaw, came on in the 87th minute to make her USWNT debut. The 18-year-old striker becomes the 71st teenager and 255th player overall to earn a senior international cap for the U.S.
At the same time, the shutout marked U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher’s ninth in 2023 — tying her career-high for clean sheets in a calendar year. She had also recorded nine shutouts in 2018 and 2019.
The U.S. plays Colombia again on Sunday at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. The United States is 11-4-0 this year with three games left on the schedule. The United States, currently preparing for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, close out the calendar year in December with a pair of friendlies against China.