20' 0-1, 23' 0-0 USA counters up the middle. #20 Amber Brooks dribbles to center circle top right, passes diagonally at 38m = 7 mowed stripes. #19 You Know Wheux splits two defenders at 25m, touches into box top center a bit too far. As #1 Moon So Ri charges out to 10m, Leroux jump-slides flat on her back and reaches out with a right-toes micro-poke at 11m -- just enough to beat Moon to the left, just enough to trickle in over the line ahead of #5 Lim Seon Joo.
24' 0-1, 26' 0-0 Korea cross/shoot from 7m wide left, low to the near post. #1 Bianca Henninger sprawls and catches it low at 1m left post, half a step in front of a Korean forward.
33' 0-1, 35' 1-0 USA has dropped back a bit, and is content to let Korea chase. Korea's recurring theme so far is the flat diagonal switch to #19 Jeoun Eun Ha hugging box top left touch -- they've done that about six times so far, with no results. Korea haven't really even tried to penetrate USA through box top center, or down the right. When USA gets the ball on the run, our short passing looks very precise. Looks like Ellis got everybody properly motivated after our flat Ghana match.
37' 0-1, 39' 1-0 Korea break up the center with numbers. Pass at box arc top center to #17 Kang Yumi, unmarked through box top 6-right. She blasts a rising shot from 15m mid-right, to the upper right 90, and #1 Bianca Henninger punches it over. Korea right corner, cleared.
38' 0-1, 40' 1-0 Korea keep pressing, sneak in through box top 6-left. #9 Jung Hae In blasts hard, #20 Amber Brooks takes one for the team -- into her abs point-blank, and out for another throw-in.
40' 0-1, 42' 2-0 #6 Elizabeth Cudjoe scores. Ghana creeps closer to that GD 42' 0-1, 44' 2-0 Almighty scramble in USA's box -- Korea get about five partial-chances, and USA just can't control-and-clear the ball in very tight spaces. We do just enough to never give Korea a clear shot. No whistles, no errors, finally we punt it downfield.
46' 0-1, 2-0 Halftime subs: - Korea subs in #10 Ji So Yun (5 goals ) for #11 Lee Hyun Young. - Switzerland subs in #16 Cora Canetta (M?) for #2 Carolyn Mallaun (D?). Trying to score at least one
50' 0-1, 2-0 #4 Crystal Dunn comes inside-out to (USA's) box top right, and clatters into #10 Ji So Yun. Ref gives advantage down box left, but it fizzles. Ref awards the free kick at 17m just outside box (Korea's) left. #10 Ji So Yun hooks it wide left, hard into the endboards.
53' 0-1, 2-0 #9 Kristie Mewis chips a good forward cross from 35m 6-left to 24m arc left -- #19 Sydney Leroux splits two defenders again! Dribbles to 15m slightly right, low shot kick-saved by #1 Moon So Ri.
56' 0-1, 2-0 Subs: - Korea subs in #14 Kim Jin Young for #19 Jeoun Eun Ha. - USA subs in #10 Teresa Noyola for #16 Maya Hayes.
58' 0-1, 2-0 Korea chips a ball forward to box top 6-right into a 1-v-1 between #10 Ji So Yun and #4 Crystal Dunn. Dunn hops and throws her body awkwardly into the ball -- but only brushes it, and it still falls into Ji's stride!! Ji dribbles in alone through box top right to 14m mid-right, shoots low -- #1 Bianca Henninger sprawls and blocks it clear! 59' 0-1, 2-0 Korea free kick from 25m box right. Curls to 4m mid-left -- and #10 Ji So Yun misses an orthogonal-leaping header by << 1 diameter, with #4 Crystal Dunn again beaten in her wake!
62' 0-1, 2-0 USA in a footsie-wrestling duel at Korea's box top center -- #9 Kristie Mewis is sandwiched by four red legs, ball squirts out centerward. #19 Sydney Leroux unlurks, leaps to pressure a 3rd defender. Slide-poke clearance drifts out to #10 Teresa Noyola, who settles it at 20m arc right, and shoots high to the upper left 90. #1 Moon So Ri dives horizontally, and palms it just wide of (her) right post, 3/4 high. 65' 0-1, 2-0 Korea subs in #13 Lee Min A for #15 Lee Young Ju.
66' 0-1, 2-0 #9 Kristie Mewis dribbles on the break at 30m left. She passes to box top arc right to split two defenders, and #19 Sydney Leroux times her run well-enough again. #12 Zakiya Bywaters is in an offside position through box top left, but is not involved, and the AR ignores her. Korea's outside defender flails in a semi-splits, and only pokes the ball through her own box top center, and goes down. Leroux almost sheepishly comes to 16m center to collect, dribbles in at a stately walk to 12m slightly left, and shoots knee-high to the right post -- kick-saved by #1 Moon So Ri. 69' 0-1, 2-0 USA subs in #7 Courtney Verloo for #12 Zakiya Bywaters.
71' 0-1, 2-0 #5 Lim Seon Joo leaps in a defensive 2-v-1 wide of her own box top right, bumps into teammate #7 Kwon Eun Som while airborne, and lands on the outside edge of her right foot -- and then on the outside of her right ankle Lim stays down in vocal distress. Eventually hops into touch, and goes off on the stretcher, with a blanket over her lower body. Done for the day. When you're hurt too badly to roll around, something's no longer connected ...
77' 0-1, 2-0 Korea try an audacious shot from the front edge of the center circle. It curls slightly rightward, and #1 Bianca Henninger makes an adventurous foray to her left post -- a bit too far, and she has to twist clockwise and catch it at waist-height behind her movement. Do Jabulanis S-curve?
80' 0-1, 2-0 #11 Christine Nairn(?) runs at 40m left, threads a long pass toward box top left. #19 Sydney Leroux forces one bad ping, ball goes centerward across box top. Leroux chases too eagerly, #20 Kim Hye Ri blasts it upfield, and Leroux plows into her at box top arc right. Foul.
84' 0-1, 2-0 #10 Teresa Noyola chips a long diagonal ball from just behind center circle right to 20m box top left -- #19 Sydney Leroux burns the trap! #1 Moon So Ri comes way out, and slides out past box top (USA's) left -- but Leroux touches it endward at 17.5m, and rounds her! Curls her run in a crescent, chases down the ball at 8m 6-right, doesn't rip the first-time left-footed shot into the empty net. Settles instead, to 4m wide right, with two defenders recovering into the goal mouth -- and finally shoots right instep behind them both, deflected wide for a corner. 86' 0-1, 2-0 USA subs in #14 Meg Morris for #19 Sydney Leroux.
88' 0-1, 2-0 #9 Kristie Mewis drives up box left to 5m, crosses waist-high to 5m center. Somebody with a long blond ponytail (#5 Kendall Johnson?) lunges in, hurdles over #1 Moon So Ri, and just misses a knee-high volley. USA is really exploiting the hole left by Korea's injured #5 Lim Seon Joo ...