Just four days after appearing in her first game for the U.S. Women’s National Team, forward Catarina Macario ’21 got her first start on Thursday afternoon for the USA. And just minutes into the game, she scored her first senior international goal.
Two and a half minutes into play versus Colombia, defender Ali Krieger made a run on the right wing. After a low cross, Macario struck the ball from just inside the six-yard box, perfectly placing it in the upper right corner of the net.
In addition to a goal from Macario, forward Megan Rapinoe scored twice (35’ and 44’), forward Lynn Williams once (60’), midfielder Linsey Horan once (73’) and defender Margeret Purce once (86’), amounting to a final score of 6-0.
Stanford women’s soccer’s presence was certainly felt throughout the game, with four of the 11 starters being Stanford alums.
Alongside Macario were fellow Cardinal defender Tierna Davidson, goalkeeper Jane Campbell ’17 and defender Alana Cook ’18. Although Macario was subbed out in the 62nd minute, the other three players competed all 90 minutes of the match. This was Campbell’s second career start as well as her fourth cap with the USWNT. This was also Cook’s second career start and second cap with the USWNT. Davidson has slightly more experience, with this being her 27th cap.
Former Stanford forward Sophia Smith, defender Kelley O’Hara ’10 and midfielder Andi Sullivan ’18 were also present but did not play. After she sat out the team’s last game due to an injury during warm-up, it is possible that head coach Vlatko Andonovski held Smith out in order to be extra cautious with regards to her health — but the team did not formally state why she did not take the pitch. O’Hara started in Monday’s match against Colombia and rested today. Sullivan has sat out both games as she regains her abilities after suffering a torn meniscus.
Forward Christen Press ’11 has also historically had a large presence on the team. She is currently playing in Europe, however, and thus was absent this game. She will presumably return to the United States as the Olympics nears.
Campbell, Cook, Davidson, Macario, O’Hara, Smith, Sullivan and Press are all vying for a spot in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, which is extremely competitive given the talent on the team and the 18-person limit on the roster.
The USWNT will be back for the SheBelieves Cup, which will also include the Brazilian, Canadian and Japanese national teams. The cup will be hosted in Orlando, Fla., and the U.S. will first face off against Canada. Kick-off is set for Feb. 18 at 4:00 p.m. PT.
Contact Samantha Leventis at samantha040602 ‘at’ gmail.com.