Julie Ertz celebrates a goal at the SheBelieves Cup on March 8, 2020 in Harrison, N.J.
On International Women’s Day, the world champions of women’s soccer put their skills on display in game two of the SheBelieves Cup as the U.S. beat Spain, 1-0, on Sunday.
Playing in front of a sold-out crowd of 26,500 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, Team USA improved to 2-0 in the tournament thanks to a late goal by Julie Ertz.
The U.S. women are going for their third SheBelieves Cup title in the five-year existence of the tournament. They beat England, 2-0, on Thursday and face Japan on Wednesday in Frisco, Texas.
This was the third time the U.S. faced Spain in 15 months, and the first since the Round of 16 at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and the rosters for both teams were essentially the same. That contest ended in a 2-1 win for the U.S. on a pair of penalty kicks by Megan Rapinoe.
This game was deadlocked for most of the contest. They hit the halfway mark still without a goal by either side, and that would continue as the minutes ticked through the second half.
Just when it appeared the game might end in a draw, however, the U.S. got a set piece and what would likely be one of their last great chances to score in the final minutes. Christen Press sent the ball in with a curve and Ertz, who earned her 100th career cap against England, ran into position for a header and a redirection to break the stalemate in the 87th minute.
Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher earned her 36th career shutout in the win. The U.S. remains undefeated under coach Vlatko Andonovski, who was named head coach in October 2019 and replaced Jill Ellis.
Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
