An Unstoppable Force

Through the first four games of Olympic qualifying, the United States duly silenced each of its powerless opponents. On Sunday, it was Canada’s turn.

The U.S. defense pitched its fifth shutout of the tournament while Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach each netted a pair of goals to give the Americans a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Canada at BC Place in Vancouver.

Morgan bookended the account with strikes in the 5th and 57th minutes while Wambach scored in the 24th and 29th minutes. Goalkeeper Hope Solo kept the American net undisturbed and ran her shutout streak to 450 minutes through qualifying.

After an impressive substitute performance during Friday’s Olympic clincher, Morgan earned a starting spot on Sunday. And it didn’t take long to prove that she belonged.

Five minutes from the opening whistle, Wambach sent a brilliant ball up to Morgan, who raced onto it, then sent it through to put the Americans on top early.

In the 24th minute, Morgan returned the favor. With Wambach lurking near the net, Morgan crossed it over to the target forward, who nodded it into the net to make it a two-goal game with plenty of time remaining.

Five minutes later, another Morgan-Wambach combination pierced the Canadian D when Morgan put it on the foot of the of Wambach, whoquickly made it 3-0 before the half hour.

In the second half, Morgan struck again. Lauren Cheney launched a long ball that Morgan ran onto before she poked it into a wide open net to cap the scoring in the 57th minute.

In the wake of the tournament finale, the statistics are staggering. The U.S. overpowered its opponents 38-0 in the goalscoring department, scoring an average of 7.6 goals per game.

Aside from the offensive fireworks, Solo overcame a lingering quad inury to help keep the shutout streak in tact.

The U.S. women return to action on Feb. 11 vs. New Zealand at Frisco, TX.