|
From US Soccer
Communications
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The U.S. needed a stoppage time
goal to top Iceland, 4-3, in the dramatic opener of its 10-game “Fan
Celebration Tour” Saturday night.
The U.S. built a 3-0 lead over the first 52 minutes
of the match as Olympic hero Abby Wambach, playing in her hometown of Rochester,
N.Y., scored twice off headers in the first half, and set up Mia Hamm for
the third U.S. goal.
Iceland stormed back to level the match at three goals
apiece before Heather Mitts converted in a goalmouth scramble to send the
Frontier Field sell-out crowd of 14,870 into a frenzy.
The crowd at Frontier Field is the most-ever for any
sporting event at the stadium. A previous U.S. Women's National Team match
at the facility, in 1998, drew 13,125, also a sell-out.
Wambach's goals give her 20 scores in 24 appearances
in 2004. Her 20-goal year is the fifth in U.S. Women's National Team history,
each by a different player.
She joins Michelle Akers (39 in 1991), Mia Hamm (20
in 1998), Kristine Lilly (20 in 1999) and Tiffeny Milbrett (21 in 1999).
Wambach is the youngest player to accomplish this feat at 24 years, 3 months,
23 days.
The tour continues with another match against Iceland
on Sept. 29 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pa. (7:30 p.m. ET), in the first
ever appearance of the U.S. women in that city, and then finishes its first
leg on Oct. 3 at PGE Park in Portland, Ore., (5 p.m. PT), which hosted matches
at the 1999 and 2003 Women’s World Cups, as the USA takes on New Zealand.
Follow all of the action from the Fan Celebration Tour live on ussoccer.com
with MatchTracker, presented by Phillips
Electronics. |
