Mexico defeated the United States for the second time in its history at the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup on Monday night with a 2-0 win on goals from Lisbeth Ovalle and Maira Pelayo.
The U.S. enters the game with a 40-1-1 record against its rivals, with its only previous loss coming in a 2-1 decision in the 2010 Women’s World Cup qualifying round.
It was the first loss for the United States under interim coach Twila Kilgore, who took over after the team suffered a dramatic exit in the round of 16 at last summer’s Women’s World Cup. Emma Hayes will take over from Kilgore this spring.
Mexico, which failed to qualify for last year’s World Cup, finished first in Group A of the Gold Cup, with the United States coming in second. Both teams advanced to the final tournament.
Mexico national team coach Pedro López Ramos said, “They were bold going out there. They were brave with the dream of playing a good game against America.”
Ovalle, who plays for Tigres in Monterrey, put Mexico ahead in the 28th minute. U.S. defender Becky Sauerbrunn tried to defend Aubaje but kicked the ball towards her.
Aubaje sent a shot past goalie Alyssa Neher and two American defenders and into the net.
This was the first goal the United States conceded in 33 games against a CONCACAF opponent.
“I think this shows how far the game has come and there are no easy games anymore. And if we don’t take care of our business and don’t execute, this is to be expected. ,” Kilgore said. “We’re going to step up and take responsibility for that, and I think any time you have a group that actively takes responsibility for something like this, it’s good for the future of the tournament. “Everything is still on the table and we are motivated, that’s for sure. ”
Sauerbrunn took full responsibility for the goal both on the field and in the locker room afterwards.
“As a veteran, there are some tough days in the office, and tonight is definitely going to be a tough day,” she said. “But fortunately, you get to spend time in the office again, and that’s exactly what you get out of it.
Mexico almost scored again in first-half stoppage time, but Carla Nieto’s long-range shot hit the crossbar.
Kiana Palacios had a good chance to give Mexico a cushion, but her shot hit defender Abby Dahlkemper and rebounded.
By then, Mexico was feeling the momentum.
Pelayo scored from distance in stoppage time, and Mexico’s players celebrated wildly on the field.
“If we lose in the quarterfinals, today’s beautiful victory will be in vain,” López Ramos said through an interpreter. “I hope this is not an isolated moment.”
The U.S. saw success from its teenage players in the first two games of the tournament. 18-year-old Olivia Moultrie scored two goals in a 5-0 win over the Dominican Republic, and 19-year-old Jaydyn Shaw scored two goals in a 4-0 win over Argentina.
However, Mexico played surprisingly tough and the United States could not recover after allowing the first goal.
“When we played that game in 2010, in Cancun, in that stadium, I think everyone was a little surprised that we qualified for the World Cup,” said Sauerbrunn, who played in that loss 14 years ago. . . “What I want to say tonight is we don’t take any opponent for granted. They had a game plan and I thought they executed it better than the game plan we had. So it’s all up to us.”
This is the first-ever Women’s Gold Cup and was created to provide more competitive competition for women’s teams in the CONCACAF region. Twelve teams played group stage games in her three cities: Carson, San Diego, and Houston.
In Group A, Argentina defeated the Dominican Republic 3-0 early Monday morning.
Each team will be reseeded after the group stage, so Mexico and the United States will have to wait to learn their quarterfinal opponents.
“The fact that everyone in that locker room can say they contributed to this game means a lot,” Diana Ordonez said after the game. “We’re just really proud, but we also know we still have work to do.”
