June 7, 2016 - Rennes, France –
The U.S. Armed Forces women’s team found their rhythm is
spectacular fashion on Saturday at Albert Chenard Stadium and defeated their
friendly regional rivals Canada 4-3 in overtime.
France hosted the 2016 Conseil International du Sport
Militaire (CISM) World Women’s Football (Soccer) Cup in Rennes from May 24th
through June 5th.
Marine 1st Lt. Kate Herren got the U.S. off to a quick start
with a ninth-minute goal on a long shot that floated over the Canadian
goalkeeper and Navy Lt. Michelle Moeller pounded a header off of a corner kick
in the 27th-minute to give the U.S. a healthy lead.
Rather than stepping down, Canada struck back with goals by Renee
MacLellan and Michelle Hamilton in the 43rd and 60th minutes.
The U.S. sent wave after wave against the Canadian defense
until Army 2nd lt. Harley Spier scored her third goal of the tournament with a
charging header to give the Americans the lead once again. With victory in
sight, Canada’s Amelie Nadeau spoiled the celebration after taking advantage of
a U.S. defensive miscue and knocked in the tying goal in the 88th-minute.
Each fighting for their first win of the tournament, Canada
and USA traded shots on goal bringing the crowd to their feet in anticipation.
In the 27th-minute of overtime, Navy Lt. Christy Hagedorn struck a one-hop pass
from fellow sailor Lt. Richelle Magalhaes to give the U.S. the deciding goal to
win 4-3.
“Played very hard throughout this whole tournament and its
nice to go out with a victory”, said Hagedorn.
“We practiced together for two weeks and came to France, but
have never played together before that, so we progressed very quickly and
really fought hard and came together very quickly as a team.”
THE JOURNEY
Both the U.S. and Canada trained only weeks before heading
to the world stage and faced teams that have been together for months prior to
the tournament. The dynamics of the way the military teams train and compete
vary among nations. For the U.S. and Canada, players assemble from across the
globe for a short period of time prior to competing at CISM. Mission and
operational tempo dictate whether Service members are available to participate
from year-to-year.
When asked about this dynamic, Hagedorn said, “It is what is
it”. “What you saw were two teams that did not have a lot of preparation time,
but really came together and fought hard. The Canadians fought hard throughout
the tournament. We’re going to celebrate with the Canadians. It was a great
match.”
Throughout the tournament, the U.S. faced stiff opposition,
but did not go down without a fight. The U.S. lost their opening match versus
Germany 2-0 and lost to South Korea won 4-1 in their second match, but it was
not an easy match for the Koreans.
In their final match of pool play, Brazil racked up three
quick early goals. The U.S. settled down and Spier scored back-to-back goals in
the 83rd and 93rd minutes.
Overall, USA finished seventh place overall.
FRANCE WINS
France dominated the tournament
crushing Netherlands, Canada and Cameroon by scoring six goals in each
match. After defeating South Korea in
the Semi-finals, France was victorious against defending champions Brazil to
win the Cup 2-1.
Final Standings:
1st – France
2nd – Brazil
3rd – South Korea
4th – Cameroon
5th – Netherlands
6th – Germany
7th – USA
8th – Canada