Taylor Smith, Mallory Pugh play 90′ as USWNT stifles Germany 1-0 in SheBelieves Cup

Washington Spirit  |   March 1, 2018
Taylor Smith, Mallory Pugh play 90′ as USWNT stifles Germany 1-0 in SheBelieves Cup Featured Image

Columbus, Ohio – Thursday March 01, 2018: Taylor Smith during a 2018 SheBelieves Cup match between the women’s national teams of the United States (USA) and Germany (GER) at MAPFRE Stadium.

Boyds, MD (March 1, 2018) – Washington Spirit defender Taylor Smith and forward Mallory Pugh each played 90 minutes for the U.S. Women’s National Team on Thursday night in a 1-0 victory over Germany to kick-off the 2018 SheBelieves Cup, in front of a crowd of 14,591 fans at MAPFRE Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio.

[+FULL MATCH RECAP]

Smith played the full game on the back line, as the U.S. defense stifled the German attack the entire evening in a match-up of FIFA’s No. 1 and No. 2 ranked women’s teams. The top-ranked Americans shutout Germany for a second straight year in their opening game of the SheBelieves Cup, having won by the same margin at the 2017 event.

Smith and the USA back line limited Germany to just two shots on goal the entire night, and seven shots overall. Smith, 24, earned her ninth career international cap with the full national team.

Pugh played the first 90 minutes of action before being subbed off for Lynn Williams in stoppage time of the second half. It was her 31st career international cup at the age of 19.

Next, the U.S. WNT travels to Harrison, N.J. for the second leg of the SheBelieves Cup at Red Bull Arena, home of MLS’s New York Red Bulls. The USA will kick off against France on Sunday, March 4 at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

2018 SheBelieves Cup Standings

Team GP W L T GF GA GD Pts.
England 1 1 0 0 4 1 +3 3
USA 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 3
Germany 0 0 1 0 0 1 -1 0
France 1 0 1 0 1 4 -3 0

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