Alyssa Naeher ends USWNT career with win over Netherlands

Lynn Williams scored the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute and Alyssa Naeher made six saves in her final match as the United States defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in The Hague on Tuesday.

Williams, who entered at the start of the second half, made a well-timed run to get a touch on Yazmeen Ryan's cross to the middle of the box to break the 1-1 tie.

Her 21st international goal came two minutes after Naeher made a great save with her right leg on Daniëlle van de Donk.

It was the last international match for Naeher, who wore the captain's armband in her 115th appearance. She debuted on Dec. 18, 2014, against Argentina.

She is two-time World Cup winner (2015 and 2019) and a 2024 Olympic gold medalist. She shut out the Netherlands in the 2019 Women's World Cup final.

Despite being outshot 23-5, the U.S. ended 2024 with a 18-1-4 record and a 20-match unbeaten streak.

Emma Hayes has been the coach for the past 15 matches (13-0-2) since her debut in June, including winning the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics.

The U.S. had no business being tied 1-1 at the half after being thoroughly outplayed, with the Dutch holding advantages in possession (62%), shots (14-1) and shots on target (3-1).

The shots were the most the U.S. has faced in a half since France had 14 in the second half of the 2019 World Cup quarterfinal.

But a strange first half saw 18-year-old Netherlands central defender Veerle Buurman scoring her first international goal in the 15th minute, then scoring an own goal for the U.S. equalizer in the 44th.

The Netherlands, ranked No. 11 in the world, had three early chances before Buurman got her head on a corner kick by Jill Roord.

On the tying goal, Tierna Davidson sent a long free kick to the center of the box, and the ball went off the back of Buurman's head.

Lily Yohannes came in as a substitute in the second half. Yohannes, who has dual citizenship, opted to play for the United States over the Netherlands last month. She plays professionally for the Dutch club Ajax.

The U.S. finished the year without the trio of Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith, who were left off the roster for the final two matches to rest and heal nagging injuries.

The U.S. has not lost a match under coach Emma Hayes, who took over in May after a stellar career with Chelsea in the Women's Super League.

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this story.