Sophia Smith scores first USWNT hat-trick as Howell & Sanchez score first goals in 9-1 win vs Uzbekistan
Sophia Smith scored her first hat-trick at international level on a day of firsts as the USWNT enjoyed a resounding 9-1 win over Uzbekistan.
The game in Columbus, Ohio was widely expected to see Vlatko Andonovski's side score plenty of goals and that's what transpired after a slightly slow start.
By full-time, the USWNT were one goal shy of hitting double figures and, in addition to Smith's personal milestone, Jaelin Howell and Ashley Sanchez scored their first goals for the national team.
What happened?
The USWNT took the lead on 26 minutes and, within 15 seconds of Uzbekistan kicking off, the hosts were 2-0 in front thanks to Mallory Pugh's goal.
The next two goals also arrived in double-quick time as Smith scored her first of the game on 33 minutes and added another two minutes later to make it 4-0 at the interval.
hat's off for @sophsssmith 🎩🎩🎩 pic.twitter.com/CfZk81hn9W
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) April 9, 2022
Catarina Macario was quick out of the blocks to score inside the first minute of the second half and then Smith scored her hat-trick goal on 56 minutes.
Substitute Howell then scored her first international goal on 64 minutes before Uzbekistan caused a slight surprise by scoring themselves to make it 7-1.
In the closing five minutes, there was time for Ashley Hatch to score and then substitute Sanchez scored her first USWNT goal in the last minute.