Mallory Swanson netted two goals within moments of each other during the first half, leading the United States to a 3-0 win over Zambia on Thursday night, marking a successful start to their Olympics journey and providing new coach Emma Hayes with a victory in her inaugural major tournament with the team.
Trinity Rodman also found the net for the US, who are aiming to secure a record fifth gold medal for their Olympic trophy case.
Zambia, outmatched from the beginning, was reduced to 10 players in the 33rd minute when Pauline Zulu received a red card. Hayes’s squad dominated the game’s early stages, controlling 70% possession and taking 13 shots with a 3.4 xG during the first 25 minutes.
Zambia, boasting attacking talent, struggled to generate scoring opportunities and quickly fell into a three-goal deficit. Key forwards Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji could not muster a shot in the first half and managed only three attempts on goal over the entire match.
Banda is a lethal scorer, registering 12 goals in 12 matches this season for the Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League. She had previously showcased her skills with two consecutive hat-tricks during the group stage of the Tokyo Games.
Hayes took the helm of the US team in late May after completing her season with Chelsea in the Women’s Super League. She made some changes to the Olympic roster, leaving veteran forward Alex Morgan, a three-time Olympic participant, at home.
Hayes has the task of guiding the Americans as they look to recover from the disappointment of last summer’s Women’s World Cup, where they exited in the round of 16. The start has been promising; in her first four matches in charge, the US has achieved four consecutive clean sheets. This defensive strength was complemented by offensive creativity in the coach’s first competitive match, as the US finished with eight shots on target.
Rodman, making her Olympic debut, scored in the 17th minute when US captain Lindsey Horan assisted her, allowing a skillful shot around the advancing Zambian goalkeeper Ngambo Musole.
Swanson added two goals in quick succession in the 24th and 25th minutes, extending the Americans’ lead to 3-0 in their Group B match in Nice.
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This match marked the fourth consecutive game in which the USWNT has kept a clean sheet under Hayes’s leadership.
US forward Sophia Smith exited the match due to what seemed to be an ankle injury late in the first half, with Lynn Williams coming on to replace her. Williams had initially been an alternate on Hayes’s Olympic roster, stepping in when Catarina Macario was sidelined with mild knee issues.
This was the first encounter between the US and Zambia on the international stage. The US will take on Germany on July 28 in Marseille, while Zambia is set to face Australia in Nice on the same day.
