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US Advances to Final with Win Over Canada
July 12, 2001
High Wycombe, England
The USA captain, Cherie Greer, exploded for two goals in the first three minutes of the match and scooped up five ground balls to help the USA women's lacrosse team to a 25-2 defeat of Canada in the IFWLA World Cup semifinals this afternoon in High Wycombe, England. Greer finished with a hat trick, while Kelly Amonte and Quinn Carney both had two goals and five assists to lead the team in scoring. Amonte led the team with six draw controls, and Carney was named the player of the match, her second such honor during these championships. With the win, their 12th consecutive in World Cup play, the Americans advance to the finals of the World Cup for the sixth consecutive time. On Saturday (July 14) the Americans will face the Australians for the gold medal in a rematch of the 1997 final that was won by the USA 3-2 in triple overtime. The Aussies beat the host English 8-1 in the other semifinal today.
Greer won the opening draw and drew a shooting space foul in the opening minute. The USA elected to pass out of the free position and worked the ball around to Crista Samaras, whose shot was saved by Susan Stuart, the Canadian keeper. On the clear, the Canadians turned the ball over and Greer picked up the loose ball and the USA reset the offense. Erin Brown's shot was saved, but another Canadian turnover was picked up by Bonnie Rosen in the midfield. The Stars and Stripes got the ball to Greer, who ran in from the left wing and bounced the ball into the back of the net for the early 1-0 lead two minutes into the match.
Canada won the ensuing draw but Kristin Sommar stripped the ball away and the USA ran a fast break that was completed by Amonte, who took a pass from Dani Gallagher as she cut down the arc and scored, putting the USA up 2-0 40 seconds later.
Amonte won the next draw and threw a long pass to Greer on the top of the arc. Greer was fouled as she drove to the cage and was awarded an 11-meter. She drove to the center and fired a shot to the back of the net 24 seconds after Amonte's goal to put the USA up 3-0 at the 26:53 mark of the half.
Again Amonte won the draw and streaked upfield. She passed the ball to Sarah Nelson, who fed the ball back to Amonte, who in turn fired the ball to the left side of the crease to a wide-open Samaras, who scored just 23 seconds after Greer's goal to give the US a 4-0 lead 3:29 into the game and forced the Canadians to take a timeout.
Carney won the ensuing draw and Gallagher shot, but Stuart saved the ball. Again the Canadians lost the ball on the clear and Gallagher recovered for the USA, starting a fast break. Amonte and Nelson worked a give-and-go with Nelson feeding Amonte right before the crease. Amonte's goal at the 25:23 mark of the half gave the USA a 5-0 lead.
Canada won the next draw but Nelson intercepted the pass and the Americans set their offense. A turnover by the Americans gave possession to the Canadians, but Jojo Connelly knocked the ball loose for the Stars and Stripes and Christie Jenkins controlled it, starting a fast break for the Americans. Brown's shot was saved, but as the Canadians tried to clear the ball, Greer caused a turnover and Sommar scooped up the ground ball. On the attack, Amonte fed Jenkins on the crease for the USA's sixth goal, which came at 20:29.
Kara Ariza won the draw for the USA and Carney's shot was saved, but a missed catch by the Canadians was picked up by Ariza, and as the Americans worked their offense, Randall Flynn found Carney alone in the middle of the arc. Carney's goal at 19:48 gave the USA a 7-0 lead.
Again Ariza won the draw, and she got the ball to Carney, who found Sommar streaking in from the top, scoring just 32 seconds after the last goal to put the USA up 8-0.
Amonte won the draw for the USA, but the Americans turned the ball over in the midfield. Sommar checked the ball loose and Samaras recovered for the US, who set their offense. The Stars and Stripes got the ball behind the cage to Gallagher, who passed the ball to a cutting Greer. Greer batted the ball in on the crease, notching her hat trick and putting the USA up 9-0.
Rosen won the next draw and Michele Uhlfelder's shot was wide but picked up by Nelson. An American turnover gave the ball to the Canadians, but Amonte knocked it loose as the Canadians tried to set their offense, and Sue Heether scooped up the ground ball. A Canadian check on the clear gave them possession in the midfield, but a turnover of their own gave the ball back to the Americans as Ariza controlled the loose ball. The Americans subsequently turned the ball back over and the Canadians held possession for a couple minutes as the keeper waited for a clear. After the ball went to the midfield, Sommar knocked the ball loose and Ariza recovered for the USA. But the Americans lost control and the Canadians scooped up the ground ball and drove to the American cage and scored with 8:55 to play in the half, ending the shutout and making the score 9-1.
Canada won the ensuing draw but a turnover gave the ball back to the Americans as Greer raced down the loose ball. The Americans lost the ball in their offensive arc and the Canadians brought the ball back down to the USA cage. An American foul gave the Canadians an 11-meter, but they drew out of it and worked for another shot that was saved by Heether. On the American attack, Gallagher's shot was saved but again the clear was broken as Jenkins knocked down the pass and Greer recovered the loose ball. On the fast break Gallagher fed Flynn as she cut down the arc and Flynn converted, scoring with 4:29 to play and moving the USA into double digits.
Jenkins controlled the draw for the USA and threw a long pass to Carney, who fed Uhlfelder as she rolled around the crease. Uhlfelder scored 23 seconds after Flynn's goal to put the USA up by ten at 11-1 with 4:06 to play in the half.
Amonte won the draw and Flynn's shot was saved on the American attack, but the Americans lost possession with a turnover. Another Canadian clear was broken as Nelson gained possession on the overthrow. Gallagher's shot was saved, and the Canadians were able to bring the ball down to their offensive zone. A shot was turned away by Heether and Carney got possession of the ground ball. As the Americans worked their offense, Carney found Nelson in the arc and Nelson scored with 1:29 to play, giving the USA a dozen goals in the match.
Jenkins won the draw and the Americans drew a foul for an 11-meter, but they pulled out. Gallagher's shot just before halftime was saved and the Canadians tried to bring the ball back upfield but time expired with the USA up 12-1 at the break.
Amonte won the opening draw of the second half and her shot hit the pipe and was recovered by Canada. A loose throw gave the ball back to the Americans as Flynn picked up the loose ball. Jenkins' shot was saved but she recovered her own rebound and the Americans rest. Sommar raced down the right side of the fan and converted a pass from Carney 1:10 into the half, giving the Americans a lead of a dozen goals at 13-1.
Ariza won the draw and a pair of Canadian fouls put the USA on the 11-meter, but the Americans chose to pull out. Bonnie Rosen scored her first goal of the championships as she raced in from the 30, caught a pass from Carney and scored 2:41 into the half, giving the USA a 14-1 lead.
Canada won the draw but Amonte knocked the ball loose and Ariza controlled it. As the Americans ran their offense, they turned the ball over and the Canadians brought the ball down to the USA goal where their shot went wide and was recovered by Greer. On the American attack, a Samaras shot was saved but Amonte got control. A Canadian foul put the US back on the 11-meter, but the Americans jumped on the whistle and the Canadians got control. A turnover on the clear gave the USA the ball back, and Carney recovered it. The Americans got the ball to Samaras behind the cage, who rolled around the left side of the crease for a goal at the 22:12 mark of the period, putting them up 15-1.
Sommar controlled the draw, but the Canadians stripped the ball from the Americans in the offensive zone for the US and tried to bring the ball back downfield. Greer, in turn, took the ball away from the Canadians and the Americans reset their offense. The Stars and Stripes was placed on the 11 as Gallagher was held on her cut. Her shot went wide and was picked up by Brown. A Samaras shot was wide and controlled by the Canadians, but the Canadian shot on their offensive set hit the side of the net and Jess Wilk, the captain of the USA side who had come into the cage in the second half, started the American clear. On the fast break off the long clear, Nelson fed a wide-open Flynn who was on the crease, giving the USA a 16-1 lead with 19:21 to play.
Greer won the next draw for the USA but an American turnover gave the Canadians the ball. Sommar knocked the ball loose and Connelly recovered for the USA. A Samaras shot hit the pipe and the Canadians recovered the ball. An errant throw was retrieved by Nelson, and Amonte's shot hit the pipe but was recovered by Jenkins. As the teams tried to get control, Brown found the ball on the ground in front the cage and she flicked it in while on her knees for a goal to make the score 17-1.
Sommar won the draw but the Americans lost the ball and the Canadians tried to clear. A turnover on the clear was controlled by Rosen, and on the American attack Brown's shot was saved. Again the Americans controlled a loose clear as Sommar picked up the ball, and Amonte's shot was wide and Nelson controlled the ball. Uhlfelder cut across the face of the cage and took a pass from Amonte and scored it with 13:39 to play.
Greer won the ensuing draw but the Americans lost possession briefly before an errant pass of their own was controlled by Greer. In the American offensive fan, a Canadian foul put Gallagher on the 11, and her shot trickled off the keeper into the cage for a 19-1 lead.
Amonte won the draw and took the ball downfield where the Americans were awarded another 11-meter. The US pulled out and subsequently lost the ball. On the break, the Canadians ran down the field and scored with 9:57 to play, ending the shutout in the second half.
The Canadians also won the next draw and were awarded an 11-meter for a 3-seconds violation by the Americans. The shot was saved by Wilk but the Canadians controlled the ball. Another shot was turned away by Wilk and Gallagher recovered for the USA. On the American attack, Carney was awarded an 11-meter of her own for a hard foul off the ball, and she deposited the shot in the back of the net to give the USA 20 goals with 8:04 to play.
Sommar won the draw, and the Americans worked their offense around to find Flynn alone on the crease. Amonte passed her the ball and Flynn's goal put the USA up 21-2 with 6:56 to play.
Nelson won the draw and the Stars and Stripes worked their offense again, this time finding Uhlfelder on the crease. Samaras threw her an opposite post feed and Uhlfelder quick sticked it into the cage for a 20-goal lead with 5:38 to play.
Samaras won the draw and the Americans again scored off a quick stick as Sommar was alone in the arc and Amonte threw it in to her with just under five minutes to play.
Samaras again won the draw but the Americans lost the ball as Canada took it away, but Amonte took it right back and found Carney, whose shot went wide but was recovered by Uhlfelder. The Americans held possession in the offensive end, and Gallagher fed Samaras on the crease for a quick stick goal with 11 seconds to play and the USA up 24-2.
Canada won the draw, but Gallagher took it away and fed a long pass to Uhlfelder, who threw it in the net as time expired, sending the USA to the win at 25-2.
The USA will play Australia for the IFWLA World Championship on Saturday, July 14 at 1:00 pm GMT (8:00 am EST). Australia advanced with an 8-1 win over the English. In other action, Scotland beat Japan 4-3. The USA won the 1997 world title with a 3-2 triple overtime win over the Aussies in Japan.
Linescore
CAN 1-1=2
USA 12-13=25
Scoring summary:
27:56 USA Greer 1-0
27:17 USA Amonte (Gallagher) 2-0
26:53 USA Greer (FP) 3-0
26:31 USA Samaras (Amonte) 4-0
25:23 USA Amonte (Nelson) 5-0
20:29 USA Jenkins (Amonte) 6-0
19:48 USA Carney (Flynn) 7-0
19:16 USA Sommar (Carney) 8-0
17:19 USA Greer (Gallagher) 9-0
8:55 CAN Hart 9-1
4:29 USA Flynn (Gallagher) 10-1
4:06 USA Uhlfelder (Carney) 11-1
1:29 USA Nelson (Carney) 12-1
28:50 USA Sommar (Carney) 13-1
27:19 USA Rosen (Carney) 14-1
22:12 USA Samaras 15-1
19:21 USA Flynn (Nelson) 16-1
17:32 USA Brown 17-1
13:39 USA Uhlfelder (Amonte) 18-1
12:41 USA Gallagher (FP) 19-1
9:57 CAN Hart 19-2
8:04 USA Carney (FP) 20-2
6:56 USA Flynn (Amonte) 21-2
5:38 USA Uhlfelder (Samaras) 22-2
4:59 USA Sommar (Amonte) 23-2
0:11 USA Samaras (Gallagher) 24-2
0:00 USA Uhlfelder (Gallagher) 25-2
Scoring:
Goals:Uhlfeder 4, Samaras 3, Sommar 3, Flynn 3, Greer 3, Carney 2, Amonte 2, Gallagher, Jenkins, Brown, Nelson, Rosen
Assists: Carney 5, Gallagher 5, Amonte 5, Nelson 2, Samaras, Flynn
Goalies: Heether (30 mins, 3 saves 1 GA)
Wilk (30 mins, 2 saves, 1 GA)
Shots: USA 44, Can 8
Ground balls: USA 37, CAN 22
Caused turnovers: USA 13, CAn 4
Turnovers USA 15, CAN 25
Draws: USA 22, Can 6
Fouls USA 5, Can 14
Free postions: USA 7 attempts, 3 shots
CAN 2 attempts, 2 shots
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