USWNT vs. Nigeria Recap: A Test for the US

The USWNT hosted Nigeria in two separate friendlies in preparation for the World Cup. While they came away with two wins, there was a stark contrast in the scoreline between the two games, which was a bit of a surprise. From an outside perspective, this still seemed like a very valuable experience to play against a tough Nigeria team as the newer mix of players continues to build their chemistry on the pitch together. Let’s recap how things went down with the USWNT in their friendlies against Nigeria.

USWNT vs. Nigeria Recap

As expected, the first match wasn’t much of a challenge for the USWNT. They put pressure on the Nigerians early. First, it was Sophia Smith getting in behind the defense and finishing well with the defender on her back. 

SOPHIA SMITH 🎯 @USWNT pic.twitter.com/gg4cGDwAnk

— ata football (@atafball) September 3, 2022

When Smith, as a striker, gets that much space in behind the defense, she’s always the favorite to score. The forward aided with in two more goals, the next was a great assist to Lindsay Horan.

Smith did just enough to get the ball into Horan’s path, who embarrassed her defender en route to stroking the ball home into the far corner. 

Sophia Smith with a goal annnd an assist just 24 minutes in pic.twitter.com/NTxxvl1Htd

— Jessa Braun (@jessabraun) September 3, 2022

Then Smith added her second of the match and the third for the game to pretty much end any thought Nigeria may have had of making a comeback. 

Sophia Smith deservedly gets the headline for the first-half brace; great team goal from the #USWNT, though. That's the combination play everyone's looking for.

Sullivan entry ball ➡️ Morgan check-down run ➡️ Fox overlap ➡️ Smith with dangerous runpic.twitter.com/jhB5BbBs9n

— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) September 3, 2022

Alex Morgan added a fourth from the spot to seal a 4-0 victory without much trouble. Although, the Nigerians did manage to keep 43% possession which is more than most of the USWNT’s opponents. 

The second match was way more competitive, with a historic streak of the USWNT coming to an end. 880 minutes straight. Not a single goal was allowed in international play over that stretch. Almost ten full games worth of shutout soccer. Considering Tierna Davidson and Abby Dahlkemper have been out, it makes the feat all the more impressive.

Uchenna Kanu, who is the most prolific scorer in collegiate soccer history and also a striker for Tigres Femenil, would be the one to end the streak. 

..and we're even #USAvNGA pic.twitter.com/CGBpUXITuz

— Zach (@zach13_) September 6, 2022

With the match now tied, naturally, the USWNT kicked it up a notch and looked for the winning goal. This time around, the Stars and Stripes had 65% possession by the end of the match, highlighting the fact that they weren’t messing around anymore.

Megan Rapinoe would come in off the bench and make an immediate impact. A little more than a minute on the pitch is all she needed to find Rose Lavelle for the game-winner. 

73 SECONDS.

That's all it took for @mPinoe to find @roselavelle to give us the lead! #USAvNGA x @Allstate pic.twitter.com/yDFzCOJ5Pg

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) September 6, 2022

This header from Lavelle is special. Who knew she could head the ball like this? The cross is behind her, yet she made a ridiculous adjustment to head the ball back across the goal and into the side netting. 

This kind of situational soccer was perfect to see how the team would respond. A tied match. The team needed to go for the winner, and they were able to do so with quality in spades. The 2-1 scoreline maybe wasn’t expected, but it was still a great test for the USWNT. 

With these two friendlies in their rearview, the Americans can now shift their focus to the Brits–October 7 from Wembley Stadium against England. The match might be a friendly, but what happens during the match will be anything but that. It will be a showdown for the ages. The USWNT will be more than ready to test their mettle in enemy territory.  

Featured image via @USWNT on Instagram

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