Meikayla Moore scored three own goals in USWNT 5-0 win against New Zealand
During the second matchday of the 2022 SheBelieves Cup the United States demolished the All Whites with Moore scoring a rare hat-trick of own goals.
There is no tomorrow for the United States women’s national team if they want to win the 2022 SheBelieves Cup for the seventh time in a row. After a scoreless draw against Czech Republic in the opening game of the campaign, they needed to respond with a better performance on Sunday at the Dignity Health Sports Park.
Strange hat-trick for Meikayla Moore
The USWNT, which are undergoing a reconstruction under head coach Vlatko Andonovski, came out strong from the beginning of the game against the All Whites. The defender from New Zealand Meikayla Moore scored three own goals in the first half and she came off in tears after a performance that she will probably never forget, for all the wrong reasons.
In fact, Moore scored one with her left foot, right foot and head, a perfect hat-trick, before the break. Also this was the first time that the USWNT benefited of three own goals in a single match, by one player and before the first 45 minutes.
The United States knew they had the three points secured because of how confident this new generation was playing in their second game. They knew that they needed to score as many goals as possible to secure the first place with one matchday left and Ashley Hatch (51st) and Mallory Pugh (93rd) found the back of the net to give the USWNT a 5-0 win.
This was a major boost of confidence for the team managed by Andonovski and now they will go into the last game of the tournament knowing that they could retain the trophy. The USWNT will now travel to Frisco, Texas to play against Iceland at Toyota stadium knowing that a win will secure them the title.