Jun 26, 2015
Ladies, I must admit, I’ve fallen a bit behind on the watching of the games (there is way more work this summer than last summer so I can’t watch at my desk as often) and I’ve had some personal emergencies come up so I’m a bit late on the recap. BUT…I have caught glimpses of each game, even if only to notice a pair of hot legs running around in super short shorts (I’m looking at you, Jonelle Filigno). Here’s a recap of the Round of 16 and a look ahead to this weekend’s quarterfinals.
Germany continued their domination at the highest level of the game, easily scoring four goals from Anja Mittag, Celia Sasic (2), and Dzsenifer Marozsan. Sweden was able to sneak in one goal, but Germany kept control for much of the time, securing a place in the quarterfinals.
What an exciting match! These two teams seemed to be pretty level, with China controlling possession a bit more. Cameroon certainly gave China, the favorite, a run for their money. Wang Shanshan scored the lone goal for China in the 12th minute, allowing them to advance to the quarterfinals.
Australia’s historic win over favorites Brazil places them in the quarterfinals for the first time ever. A tense match, with both teams unable to pull of many shots on goal, the lone goal came from substitute Kyah Simon, who netted a rebound off Luciana.
An easy win for the 3rd ranked team in the world, France scored two of their three goals in the first eight minutes, with excellent build-up down the left side and crosses into the box. The third goal came right after the second half start, with Eugenie Le Sommer’s run down the middle and a pass to Marie Laure Delie who sealed the victory.
A high-energy game, Canada netted a goal in the 52nd minute to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. Goalkeeper, Erin McCloud, did her job, using her whole body every time to save the few shots the Swiss were able to create.
Norway scored first in this exciting match, before England equalized eight minutes later. Lucy Bronze sealed the victory for England with a long shot from outside the box, setting them up to play Canada in the quarterfinals.
A heated match, both sides created few opportunities until Columbia goalkeeper Catalina Perez (who was playing the match of her life) was ejected for taking out Alex Morgan. What ensued next: Wambach misses the penalty, Alex Morgan scores a weak one, Carli Lloyd scores a penalty. Throughout it all, Columbia fought hard, looked near equal to USA, and never gave up. Had Perez stayed in the game, the outcome could’ve been quite different.
Japan looked to have this one sealed until the 92nd minute when The Netherlands turned up the gas and fired shot after shot, eventually netting a goal. Had there been five more minutes, you can be they would’ve tied the game. A great effort from the Dutch, but ultimately, not enough to beat the always-amazing Japanese.
Friday and Saturday will be exciting days, with Germany playing France at 1pm PDT and USA playing China at 4:30pm PDT. Saturday will see Japan vs. Australia at 1pm PDT and England vs. Canada at 4:30pm PDT.
What has been your favorite match thus far? Let us know in the comments!
