USA Women’s Team Christens Q2 Stadium
June 16, 2021
“It was electric. So amazing,” was the way Unites States Women’s National Team (USNWT) captain Becky Sauerbrunn describe the first match, ever, at the state-of-the-art Q2 Stadium. The USA defeated the Nigerian Women’s National Team by a score of 2-0 before a sold-out crowd. The match was part of their preparation for the Olympic competition in Tokyo.
Q2 Stadium welcomed Team USA with a “Christened by Queens” tifo banner that was unveiled by fans behind the south goal. The banner included an image of Crystal Dunn, making her the first woman of color to be honored in a tifo.
The Nigerians’ withstood USA’s onslaught, holding them scoreless until late in the first half, when Christen Press found the back of the net in the second minute of stoppage time. Carli Lloyd set up the goal by splitting two defenders and feeding Press who launched a left-footed shot from 16 yards out.
Press became the ninth all-time leading scorer for the USWNT with 61 goals. She clearly excelled among her peers on the pitch in the matches running up to the Olympics.
Lloyd was honored before the match for her historic 300th cap earned on April 10 against Sweden. She became just the third player in international soccer history to reach the 300-cap milestone.
The Americans closed the match with Lynn Williams score in the fourth minute of stoppage time in the second half. Williams beat Nigerian goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi after a setup by Press.
“In terms of atmosphere and crowd, it was brilliant,” USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski told reporters after the match. “It was a good reminder of how much the fans love soccer and how much they love the U.S. women’s national team.”
The USA finished the match with 15 shots, 6 on-target and two goals. USA’s goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher earned the clean sheet, facing 7 shot, 1 on-target.
The USA’s unbeaten streak now stands at 42 matches, the third-longest in USWNT history. The team’s home unbeaten streak now stands at 56 games, which includes 51 wins and five draws.