SheBelieves Cup MVP Sophia Smith leads USA
COLUMBUS, Ohio – With 19,049 in attendance at Lower.com Field to watch the United States Women’s National Team take on Canada in the SheBelieves Cup soccer final, no one ignited the crowd quite like Sophia Smith.
Smith, the SheBelieves Cup MVP, scored two goals for the USWNT, but with Canada’s Adriana Leon matching that total, the final went to penalty kicks after regulation concluded in a 2-2 draw. Five PKs each would fail to be enough to decide this year’s winner, and it would take Emily Fox’s made attempt for the U.S. to clinch its seventh SheBelieves Cup by a score of 5-4.
“I know Atlanta is a bigger stadium, more people, but this felt just as energetic,” Smith said. “Just as loud, just as passionate, and we felt the fans’ energy the whole entire game, especially in the penalty shootout.”
It was a strong start to penalty kicks for Canada, drilling the first two attempts past USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and its own goalkeeper, Kailen Sheridan, blocking Trinity Rodman’s shot.
Taking the second PK for the United States, Smith once again started the scoring for her team and was followed by a made attempt by Naeher. The goalkeeper would record three penalty saves, including the final shot by Evelyne Viens.
“Alyssa’s incredible,” said USWNT defender Abby Dahlkemper. “It just speaks volumes to having her be third in the PK lineup and having a lot of confidence in her and knowing that she’s going to execute.”
Neither team backed down during the 90-plus minutes of regulation that featured physicality on the field. This is the second time this year that a meeting between these two has gone to penalty kicks.
Both teams took hard hits in the first half, but none was as impactful as the collision between Naeher and Canadian defender Ashley Lawerence near the top of the box.
The ball that was in Lawerence’s control popped up in the air and to the foot of Deanne Rose, who found teammate Leon in front of the empty goal for a 1-0 lead in the 40th minute.
Near the 50-minute mark, Smith sent a long shot from the top of the box past Sheridan to even the match. Smith scored her second goal of the night 18 minutes later off a pass from Rodman.
“The first goal was just class,” said USWNT interim coach Twila Kilgore. “Sometimes individuals just do special things . ... It was a left-footed finish for Soph, in a crowded box, just an exceptional individual moment.”
It looked like the USWNT was closing in on a victory in regulation until Crystal Dunn was charged with a foul in the box, setting up a penalty kick. Leon put the score at 2-2.
The last time these two teams went to penalty kicks was on March 6 in the Concacaf W Gold Cup, but Naeher was far from bothered by going into this situation because “when you come out on top, it’s great.”
“There’s certainly a lot of mind games when you come into them, penalty shootouts, on both sides,” Naeher said. “Obviously Kailen and I were joking a little bit about, ‘we just did this a few weeks ago.’ But obviously, we have a lot of history with Canada, they know us very well, we know them very well. ... There’s a lot of familiarity that makes it hard, but really fun to compete on the field.”