USA Women Win Group + Women's Quarterfinal Previews
du Nord, August 13, 2008
Written by du Nord reader Adam.USA 4-0 New ZealandAfter an uninspiring 4-0 rout of New Zealand, and thanks to some help from Japan, the US finished atop group G and will now play Canada in the Olympic quarterfinals. Heather O’Reilly opened the scoring 43 seconds into the match with the fastest goal in women’s Olympic soccer history, after lofting a shot from distance over New Zealand keeper Jenny Bindon. The goal clearly came as a blow to New Zealand’s hopes of springing an upset over the US. The Kiwis never seemed to get into the match after that first goal; still, the US did not look as dominant as the final score suggests. Throughout the first half, lame defense and poor passing continued to plague the US. Fortunately, New Zealand failed to create dangerous scoring opportunities and capitalize on the USA’s mistakes. Just before halftime, in another knock to New Zealand’s hope for a comeback, Rachel Buehler’s long pass freed Amy Rodriguez behind the defense. Rodriguez calmly cracked a first-time shot past