Throwback Thursday: Ali Krieger scores in rout of China

On March 8, 2013, the United States Women’s National Team hit the field against China in the 2nd match of the 2013 Algarve Cup in Portugal. On a soggy field, the USWNT looked to score some goals against a tough Chinese squad. It would receive a goal from an unlikely source.

Sydney Leroux got the scoring started for the USWNT in the 14th minute, with Alex Morgan assisting. In the 32nd minute, Alex Morgan had the ball while running down the left flank to the endline. At the very last possible moment, she hit a left-footed cross to the far post, where defender Ali Krieger was waiting to punch it home.

It was the first international goal for the Northern Virginia native, and it gave the USWNT a 2-0 lead. Very rarely do defenders get the opportunity to score, and to date, it’s Krieger’s lone tally for country.

Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press, and Whitney Engen added goals for the USWNT in the 2nd half, and they cruised to a 5-0 victory. Alex Morgan ended the match with 3 assists. Still, as Ali Krieger has an opportunity in the next window to finally reach 100 caps, she will look back on her great day at the office in 2013 when she finally added her name to the scoring column: USA - Ali Krieger, 32nd minute.