Women's Soccer Team Decks Norway
M E L B O U R N E, Australia, Sept. 14 -- With a tough Olympic schedule, theU.S. women’s soccer team needed a fast start.Speedy Tiffeny Milbrett delivered.
Milbrett outran two defenders to open the scoring in the 18thminute and terrorized Norway’s defense all game as the Americansbegan defense of their gold medal tonight with a 2-0victory.
Mia’s Moment
Mia Hamm added a goal in the 24th in a game that pitted the toptwo teams in the world rankings—both facing a daunting draw thatput the loser in a big hole to make the medal round.
The U.S. team came out aggressively, winning three corner kicksin the first five minutes and most of the headers at midfieldbefore surviving several sloppy moments defensively on a wet fieldwith poor footing.
After playing before sellout crowds at home during the 1999World Cup, the Americans looked like part of a tame sporting eventwhen they marched on the field before just a few thousand fans inthe cavernous, 90,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground.
But Milbrett, 5-foot-2 with the moves of a basketball pointguard, supplied all the energy needed to get the evening going. Notonly did she score, she accomplished a rare trifecta by hittingboth goalposts and the crossbar.
Her goal, her 80th in international competition, came with helpfrom goalkeeper Siri Mullinix, who made the just the sort of playthat won her the starting job over World Cup hero Briana Scurry.
Mullinix came out of the net to send a 60-yard clearance towardMilbrett, who beat two defenders to head the ball forward with onlygoalkeeper Bente Nordby to beat. Milbrett’s first shot wasdeflected by Nordby, but the easy rebound made Milbrett’s follow-upa formality.
Easy Goal
Hamm’s goal was one of the easiest of the world-record 126 she’saccumulated. Norwegian midfielder Anita Rapp lost her bearings andblew the offside trap, allowing Kristine Lilly to chip a pass to awide-open Hamm in the penalty box for the score.
From there, it was all Milbrett, even though she didn’t scoreagain. In the 30th minute, she somehow missed an open net on abreakaway after a pass from Hamm. In the 40th, she hit the rightpost. In the 43rd, she drove a close-range bullet into Nordby’sbody. In the 44th, she looped an amazing shot from the top of thebox that hit the crossbar. In the 68th, she rocked a sliding18-yarder off the left post.
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