Alex Morgan scored a highlight-reel goal to help the United States women's national team defeat Germany, 2-1 on Wednesday in Boca Raton, Fla. The victory kept the Americans perfect in 2016 and made them victors of the first-ever SheBelieves Cup.
Sam Mewis' goal in the 41st minute -- which took bounced on the subpar, sandy sod grass at FAU Stadium and which Germany goalkeeper Almuth Schult failed to properly deal with -- served as the game-winner for the United States. The top-ranked Americans won all three of their games in the SheBelieves Cup, beating England, France and Germany -- four of the world's top five teams -- in a seven-day span. Morgan scored the game-winner against France on Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.
Anja Mittag opened the scoring for the scoring for Germany in the 29th minute, the first goal the U.S. has conceded in nine games in 2016 (9-0-0). But Morgan struck six minutes later after flicking the ball around a defender and to herself for the finish.
Morgan now has eight goals this year, already surpassing her total from 2015, the second straight year in which she battled multiple injuries.
Last month, the U.S. qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics. The Americans are three-time defending gold medalists in women's soccer in addition to their current status as reigning World Cup champions.
The SheBelieves Cup is planned as an annual March tournament in the U.S., replacing the Americans' annual trip to the Algarve Cup in Portugal, traditionally the biggest annual women's tournament outside of the major competitions.
