Crystal Dunn became the seventh U.S. women’s national team player to score five goals in a single match on Monday in a 10-o victory over Puerto Rico.
The U.S. women rolled to an easy victory in CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying as coach Jill Ellis made seven changes to her starting line-up. Dunn opened the scoring for the U.S. in the 6th minute and completed her hat trick in the 61st minute as part of a stretch in which the U.S. scored three goals in three minutes.
Dunn joins Michelle Akers, Brandi Chastain, Sydney Leroux, Tiffeny Milbrett, Amy Rodriguez and Abby Wambach as U.S. players who have scored five goals in a single match. Akers achieved the feat at a Women’s World Cup. No U.S. player has ever scored six goals in a single game.
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Sam Mewis also scored her first career senior international goal in the 90th minute, while Carli Lloyd scored from the penalty spot early in the match, and Kelley O’Hara and Christen Press added a goal each (Puerto Rico also conceded an own goal).
The U.S. won Group A and next plays on Friday in the semifinals of Olympic Qualifying against the second-place team from Group B, likely to be the winner of Tuesday’s Guyana v. Trinidad and Tobago match.
Earlier Monday, Costa Rica defeated Mexico, 2-1 to advance out of Group A as the second-place team. Costa Rica is likely to play Mexico in Friday’s semifinal. The two winners of Friday’s semifinals advance to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
