ORLANDO, FLA. (March 5, 2020) – The U.S. Women’s National Team began the 2020 SheBelieves Cup with a 2-0 victory against England in front of 16,531 fans at Exploria Stadium. Christen Press and Carli Lloyd each converted world class finishes to secure the USWNT the well-earned victory.

The triumph ties the USA (1-0-0, 3 pts) with Spain atop the tournament standings in points after the conclusion of the first matchday, but Spain is currently in first place based on more goals scored. In the first game of the night Spain (1-0-0, 3pts) defeated Japan (1-0-0, 3pts) 3-1.

The USA will face Spain next on March 8 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. The match will kick-off at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN and TUDN.

Julie Ertz put in a magnificent performance in the center midfield in earning her 100th appearance for the USA. She became the 40th woman in U.S. history to hit the century mark and will be honored for the achievement at a match later this year.

United States midfielder Julie Ertz (8) runs past England midfielder Jill Scott (8) during the She Believes Cup women's soccer match at Exploria stadium on Thursday, March 5, 2020 in Orlando, Florida. (Alex Menendez)

The teams opened at a frenetic pace, pressing one another in a bid to win turnovers and convert them into offensive opportunities. The U.S. carved out the first truly dangerous chance on goal just after the 10th minute when Rose Lavelle cut in from the left wing and unleashed a long drive that a sprawling England goalkeeper Carly Telford did well to push away.

England’s best chance came via a corner kick in the 26th minute. The ball was whipped across the six-yard box and then flicked on by the head of an England player to Jill Scott, but her redirection skied over the bar.

The U.S. dominated the half, doubling up the Lionesses on shots (11-5) and shots on goal (4-2) and also saw a potential penalty kick waved away in the 38th minute. Tobin Heath went one-on-one against Alex Greenwood in the England box, drawing contact as she tried to rush past the center back, but referee Jamaican referee Odette Hamilton waved play on.

On the other side of the break, Lloyd teamed up with Press to break the deadlock in the 53rd minute. Lloyd spun to avoid a defender and then sent an incisive pass to the feet of Press, who turned towards goal and curled a beautiful shot past Telford into the top right corner.

Lloyd then doubled the U.S. lead two minutes later with a point-blank conversion after a deft chip pass from Lindsay Horan beat the England back line. The goal put the USA in the driver’s seat, but the Americans could have gotten a few more on the night with some crisper finishing.

Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher preserved the USA’s hard-earned advantage moments later with a sliding save on Nikita Parris. The brave stop at the feet of the England attacker was just one of Naeher’s three important saves on the night on the way to her 35th career shutout and a solid win for the USA to open the 2020 SheBelieves Cup.

In the end, the USA out-shot England 22-8 and allowed just three shots on goal. This was the first time the USA has beaten England by two goals since the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup when the Americans won 3-0 in the quarterfinals. The previous seven matches had all been decided by one goal (or less) as the USA had four wins, England had two wins, and the teams drew once, a 2-2 contest at last year’s SheBelieves Cup.

Next on the Schedule: The USA heads north to Harrison, N.J. for a showdown against Spain on Sunday, March 8 (5 p.m. ET; ESPN, TUDN) at Red Bull Arena. Fans will also be able to watch the day’s first game between England and Japan on ESPN3 at 2:15 p.m.

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