US Downs England 11-5 to Win Pool "A"

July 9, 2001

High Wycombe, England — The USA’s Kelly Amonte Hiller scored a pair of goals and added an assist in the first fifteen minutes of the game to stake the USA to a 5-1 lead, and the Yanks battled hard for an 11-5 victory over the home-standing English, giving them the top seed at the end of pool play. With the win, the Stars and Stripes are now 3-0 and await the loser of the Scotland-Germany game in the crossover matches which will take place on Wednesday (July 11). The USA outdrew the Brits 13-5, with Joanne Connelly winning five to lead the USA efforts.

For the third consecutive game the USA jumped out on top early, scoring in the first minute of play. Amonte won the draw and fed a streaking Cherie Greer in the arc. Greer was fouled on her run to the cage, and then again on the 11-meter, placing her on the 11 with a center hash. She converted on a bounce shot just 55 seconds into the match, giving the Yanks a lead they would not relinquish.

Connelly won the first of her five draws on the ensuing draw, but the Americans lost the ball behind the cage while setting up the offense. As the English tried to set up their offense, they lost the ball on the crease and Sue Heether scooped up the ground ball. A long cross-field pass fell short and was picked up by the English, but on their attempt to move the ball back downfield Christie Jenkins picked up a loose ball. The Americans lost the ball again, but Cristi Samaras checked the ball loose on the edge of the field and started the offense up for the Americans. The USA got the ball to Greer on the right wing, and Greer fed Amonte in the middle of the arc. Amonte was fouled immediately and was placed on the center hash. Her conversion of the free position at 23:23 gave the USA a 2-0 lead.

England won the ensuing draw but lost the ball as Quinn Carney checked it loose. The Americans gave the ball almost right back, but Sommar stripped the ball from the English and took it down for a shot, but it was saved by the English keeper. A clearing pass went astray and it was picked up by Connelly, who got the ball to Carney. Carney raced in from midfield and bounced a shot into the back of the net, giving the USA a 3-0 lead with just over 20 minutes to play, forcing the English to take a timeout.

The English won the next draw and took it down to the American cage where a foul placed the British captain on the 11-meter. Her shot found the back of the net, cutting the deficit to two at 3-1.

Carney won the next draw but an American turnover gave the ball back to the English. But as the English were setting their offense, they were called for an illegal pick, and the ball went to Sarah Nelson. Nelson took off upfield and passed the ball to Amonte, who was in the middle of the arc. Amonte was again fouled in the arc and was given an 11-meter shot. She fed a wide-open Erin Brown on the left crease, who beat the goalie with nifty stickwork, giving the Yanks a 4-1 lead with 15:38 to play.

Connelly won another draw and the Americans got the ball to Amonte, who rolled the crease and stuffed it in high, putting another goal on the board just 20 seconds later. Connelly won the next draw as well and the Stars and Stripes worked to set the offense yet again. As Gallagher drove into the arc, she was fouled and was placed on the 11. Her shot was saved, but a double crease violation forced a throw, which was won by Sommar. The Americans lost the ball but an errant pass was picked up by Michele Uhlfelder, who found Connelly streaking to the cage. Her shot was saved, but on the clear, Brown stripped the ball from the English defender and the USA regained control. After setting the offense, Greer found Kara Ariza on the right side of the crease, and Ariza buried it on the goal line for a 6-1 lead with 11:06 to play.

Connelly won yet another draw but an errant throw into the crease resulted in a turnover for the Yanks. On the English attack, the Brits drew a shooting space foul but they elected to pull out. Another American foul gave them another 11-meter mark, but again the Brits elected to pull out. A double foul resulted in a throw won by the English, but Ariza took the ball away and started a fast break that resulted in an 11-meter shot for the Americans. Brown’s shot was saved, and the English brought the ball back down for a goal on a quickstick feed, pulling the English within four at 6-2 with 4:31 to play.

Amonte won the draw but a misthrow by the Americans turned the ball over to the English. Greer checked the ball free and Gallagher pounced on it, but an illegal pick as the Americans ran the attack gave the ball back to the English. Again Greer stole the ball from the English, and Gallagher drove to the net. She was fouled with one second remaining and placed on the line. Her free position shot went into the net, but it was ruled after time had expired, so the Stars and Stripes went into the break with a 6-2 lead, just like in the game against Australia.

The English won the opening draw of the second half, and an attempted crease roll was thwarted by Jess Wilk, who had come into the cage for the second half. Bonnie Rosen caused a turnover on the crease and she picked up the loose ball, starting the American attack. Randall Flynn’s shot was saved but Greer picked up the ground ball. An American turnover allowed the English to attack, but their shot was turned away by Wilk. The Yanks turned the ball over right away, but Wilk again made a save to keep the four-goal lead. That lead was increased to five as on the next offensive charge, Sommar found Cristi Samaras on the crease, and Samaras quicksticked the ball into the net for an 8-2 lead, the largest of the game for the Americans.

The English answered right back with a draw control win and a feed on the crease, 48 seconds after the American goal. Samaras won the draw and Uhfelder got off a shot that went wide, but the USA retained possession with a Brown ground ball. Amonte’s shot was saved, and the English quickly got the ball upfield and Vic Cranwell scored cutting across the goal mouth and flipping it back, moving the Brits to within four at 22:06. Amonte won the draw but a turnover on the bench gave the ball back to the English, who worked the ball downfield and found another high quickstick feed for a third consecutive goal, cutting the deficit to three with 20:15 to play.

The English won the next draw but lost the ball on a drive to the cage, and Ariza scooped up the loose ball. Sommar drove to the net and Amonte was fouled, placing her on the 11. Her shot was saved but Uhlfelder got the ground ball. The Americans, however, lost the ball and the English started a clear. The clear was broken as Flynn picked up an errant pass, but the Americans turned the ball over soon after. Connelly stripped the ball in the American defensive arc, but in the course of the offense, the Yanks lost the ball again. Gallagher stripped the ball before the English were able to get it out of their arc, and Amonte got off a shot that went just wide. Gallagher picked up the loose ball and got it to Sommar on the left wing.

Sommar drove and attempted a pass to Samaras who was in the arc, but the ball missed Samaras, and missed everything else on the way to the back of the net. The goal broke the 3-0 run for the English and put the Yanks on the board in the second half with 8:52 to play.

Carney won the draw but a long pass into the arc was broken up by the English. On the clear attempt, Nelson dislodged the ball on the edge of the field and it was picked up by Gallagher. The Americans were awarded an 11-meter but elected to pull out, and later Brown found Samaras on the crease for another quickstick goal, giving the Yanks a 10-5 lead with 6:07 to play. Connelly won her fifth draw of the game, but the Americans turned the ball over in the midfield giving the English a chance to take it down to their offensive third. Sommar stripped the ball and the Americans got the ball to Gallagher, whose shot was saved. The Americans got the ball back when the English threw it outside the playing area, but they turned it over in the offensive arc while trying to set the offense. Connelly got the ball right back for the Americans, and Carney drove the crease from the left wing to score her third goal of the game with 37 seconds remaining. Nelson won the draw and drew a shooting space foul. Her shot was saved, but the Yanks got off two more shots before the end of the match.

Gallagher was named the player of the match for the Americans, who finish pool play at 3-0. The Stars and Stripes have the day off on Tuesday and will face the loser of the Germany-Scotland match which will take place on Tuesday at 3:00.

Linescore:
USA 6-5=11
ENG 2-3=5

Scoring summary:
29:05 USA Greer (FP) 1-0
23:23 USA Amonte (FP) 2-0
20:05 USA Carney 3-0
18:53 ENG Butt 3-1
15:38 USA Brown (Amonte) 4-1
15:18 USA Amonte 5-1
11:06 USA Ariza (Greer) 6-1
4:31 ENG Richardson (Butt) 6-2
25:49 USA Samaras (Sommar) 7-2
25:15 USA Carney 8-2
24:27 ENG Richardson (Butt) 8-3
22:06 ENG Cranwell 8-4
20:15 ENG 8-5
8:52 USA Sommar 9-5
6:07 USA Samaras (Brown) 10-5
0:37 USA Carney 11-5

US Goals: Quinn Carney 3, Kelly Amonte Hiller 2, Cristi Samaras 2, Cherie Greer, Erin Brown, Kara Ariza, Kristin Sommar
US Assists: Cherie Greer, Kelly Amonte Hiller, Erin Brown, Kristin Sommar

Goalies: USA Heether (30 mins, 0 saves, 2 GA)
Wilk (30 mins, 3 saves, 3 GA)
ENG: Thorose (60 mins, 5 saves, 11 GA)

Shots: USA 27, ENG 9
Ground balls: USA 31, ENG 20
Caused turnovers: USA 12, ENG 5
Turnovers: USA 17, ENG 18
Draws: USA 13, ENG 5
Fouls: USA 12, ENG 15
FPA: USA 7, ENG 3
FPS: USA 4, ENG 1