U.S. Women Win Second-Straight World Cup
July 07, 2019 | Women's Soccer
Four former UCLA women's soccer team members helped the U.S. Women's National Team win its second consecutive and fourth overall Women's World Cup after a 2-0 U.S. victory over the Netherlands in the final.
Former UCLA women's soccer head coach Jill Ellis (1999-2010) won her second-straight World Cup title, becoming just the second coach in World Cup history (men or women) to win two World Cup titles, joining Italy's Vittorio Pozzo. Ellis, the 2015 FIFA Women's Coach of the Year, has won 102 games as head coach of the U.S. Women's National Team and is unbeaten in her coaching career in World Cup play.
A pair of Bruin NCAA champions started and played the full 90 for the U.S. in the victory - defender Abby Dahlkemper (2011-14) and midfielder Sam Mewis (2011-14). A third former Bruin player, Mal Pugh (2017), was available off the bench.
Dahlkemper led the U.S. field players in minutes played at the World Cup and started all seven games. A central defender, she helped the U.S. post four shutouts in seven games. Mewis played in six matches in the tournament, making five starts. She scored a pair of goals in the opener against Thailand and tied for first in the tournament with three assists. Pugh played in three games and started one, recording a goal and an assist.
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โ UCLA Women's Soccer (@UCLAWSoccer) July 7, 2019
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That's a #DreamTeam right there. @AbbyDahlkemper @sammymewy https://t.co/U4SlD9aR4q
The U.S. women have won a record four Women's World Cup titles (1991, 1999, 2015, 2019).
In addition to the U.S. Bruins, who also include another former UCLA head coach in Director of Talent ID B.J. Snow, three other UCLA-affiliated players advanced with their respective countries to the knockout stage - Jessie Fleming (Canada), Teagan Micah (Australia) and Aline Reis (Brazil).
