The Utes defeated la "Seleccion" Uruguay, 3-1 today at el Estadio Charrua in Montevideo before an enthusiastic crowd of about 400 people today. We fell behind after an unfortunate own goal in the 5th minute and trailed at the half, 1-0. Erin Dalley scored two second half goals and Chelsea Card scored one as we rallied for the win. The game was well played. The setting was fantastic. The Uruguayan team played hard and skillfully. The crowd was appreciative...and....we won!
Game Report
Starting Lineup:
Goalkeeper: Emalee Rogers (Amy Edman played the second half)
Defenders: Melissa Crespo, Amanda Sanchez, Christine Quinn, Nicole Cardon
Midfielders: Kiley Jones, Kelly Isleib, Paola Marsenaro
Forwards: Jen Christoffers, Erin Dalley, Lauren Hair
Substitutions: Addie Hair, Katy Reineke, Jena Roberts, Chelsea Card, Katie Brower, Danielle Sample
Did not play: Morgan Skeen, Alyssa Toomey (injured)
Goals:
Uruguay - 5' (own goal)
Utah - 52' Erin Dalley (Katy Reineke)
65' Chelsea Card (Jen Christoffers)
75' Erin Dalley (Lauren Hair)
The Utah soccer team scored 3 goals in the second half to erase a halftime deficit and defeat the national team of Uruguay, 3-1, in the second game of its South American tour. The game was played before 400 fans at the Charrua Stadium in Montevideo. The game marked a homecoming for Ute senior midfielder, Paola Marsenaro, who was born in Uruguay but had not been back since she left in 1988 at the age of five. Paola and the Utes were cheered on by her grandmother and other relatives on a very emotional day.
The Utes got off to a rough start as a ball that was crossed into the middle of the penalty box caromed off Nicole Cardon and into the net for an own goal. The early setback seemed to throw Utah off of its rhythm for a while. In the 13th minute, Erin Dalley got behind the defense but her shot was saved by the Uruguayan goalkeeper. In the 21st minute, a dangerous ball was sent in by Uruguay from a free kick, but Emalee Rogers did well to grab it in a crowd.
One minute later, Jen Christoffers had a good crack from 25 yards out, but it was knocked out for a corner kick. The Utes trailed, 1-0, at the break.
The Utes started quickly after the break. Katy Reineke smashed a free kick off the post from 20 yards out just one minute into the half. And just two minutes later, Erin Dalley headed a Kelly Isleib free kick into the goalkeeper's arms. In the 52nd minute, the Utes broke through as Reineke send a ball behind the defense from the left side. Dalley latched onto it and pushed it past the onrushing 'keeper for a 1-1 tie.
Utah played much better in the second half than the first period and seemed to wear down the hosts as the game progressed. An opportunistic play by Jen Christoffers in the 65th minute broke the tie. Christoffers stole the ball from a Uruguayan defender about 30 yards from the hosts' goal and sent it into the penalty box for Chelsea Card. Card took to swipes at it. The first was blocked by a defender and the second crawled into the near post for a 2-1 Utah lead.
Just ten minutes later, some nifty work by Lauren Hair along the right wing led to a third goal. Hair received the ball with her back to goal, then turned a played a beautiful through pass to Erin Dalley. Dalley got to the ball and lofted it over the goalkeeper and into the roof of the net for a 3-1 lead.
The hosts did not give up and had two nice chances to close the gap. In the 86th minute, a forward got behind the defense only to shoot wide. And in the 88th, Ute 'keeper, Amy Edman, came off her line to block another shot from point-blank range. Marsenaro had a chance to score in front of her family, but hit a free kick over the bar in the final minute.
The game ended with both teams happy to get the competition in. Women's soccer is just catching on in Uruguay. The players are in the middle of summer break. They had trained for five weeks just to prepare for this game, which marked only the third time a team had come to play in their country.
QUOTES:
Coach Manning - "What a special day for us! The game was very competitive and I was pleased with the way we finished the game. I thought we found a great rhythm throughout the second half and scored some very good goals. However, this was much more than a game for us. To see how important the game was for the Uruguay team...to have a home game is very rare for them... And to see how starved they are to improve their opportunities on the women's side..and to see how they welcomed Paola, their "sister" was unforgettable. We learned a lot about appreciating what we have here. And we are very motivated to help the Uruguayans to improve their team and the opportunities for women's soccer players in their country...truly unforgettable!"
Posts
