Ireland outclassed by World No. 1 USA in Denver
IT was not unexpected but that did not make it any easier.
Ireland boss Carla Ward has never beaten USA boss Emma Hayes, and the Girls in Green have never got a result against the USA.
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So a 4-0 loss in Denver in the first of two games against the Olympic champions is no shock, nor a disaster.
But that an Ireland team - without key players Katie McCabe, Denise O'Sulivan, Aoife Mannion and Megan Campbell - were thoroughly outclassed is a worry.
These summer games were arranged primarily with a view torwards the
Win that two legged tie against the Red Flames and Ireland go into League A for the World Cup qualifiers; something that makes qualifying that little bit easier.
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But Belgium are, on paper, better than Ireland.
So taking on the top class Americans was arranged to prepare; effectively like altitude training in thinner air that you will face in future.
But against the USA, the Girls in Green learnt that it can be tough to breath when the best team in the world are running you ragged.
The statistics said it all. The USA had 26 shots to Ireland's two, and it would have been greater than 4-0 were it not for stand-in captain Courtney Brosnan, winning her 50th cap.
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Ireland were already hanging on before Avery Patterson opened the scoring with a header from a Rose Lavelle corner on 18 minutes.
A second goal arrived in first half stoppage time when Sam Coffey skipped by two defenders before firing home.
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And the second half was all-USA and Lavelle got a goal her performance deserved on 53 minutes before Alyssa Thompson added a fourth with a lovely curling effort after beating two Ireland defenders.
Ireland: Brosnan; Stapleton, Patten, Hayes, Mustaki ( Atkinson 90); Connolly, Littlejohn (Toland ht); Murphy ( Noonan 65), Carusa ( Sheva 64), Quinn ( Larkin ht); Barrett ( Healy 75)
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Rose Lavelle of the United States is tackled by Kyra Carusa of Ireland
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