SAN DIEGO (AP) — Mallory Pugh scored a pair of second-half goals as the U.S. women’s national team opened the year with a 5-1 victory over Denmark on Sunday.
Alex Morgan, Julie Ertz and Crystal Dunn also scored for the top-ranked United States. The match was the first for a year that will include qualifying for the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. The Americans are the defending champion of the sport’s premier event.
Denmark went up 1-0 in the 14th minute off Nadia Nadim’s header. It was the 23rd international goal for Nadim, who played last season for the Portland Thorns in the National Women’s Soccer League.