SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Starting and playing in a full 90 minutes of action on Wednesday, former Santa Clara standout soccer player Julie Johnston aided the United States in a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Norway at the Algarve Cup.
"I am so proud of Julie," said Santa Clara Head Coach Jerry Smith. "Julie is a great example of someone who had the courage to dream big and the discipline, determination, mental toughness, and maturity to stay on a path that is allowing her to live the dream of every young soccer player out there; the dream of representing your country on the soccer field. Knowing her, it will not surprise me if this leads to her earning one of the precious few roster spots for the United States in this summer's World Cup. Her future is very bright and she deserves all the good things that are happening for her."
Wednesday's match was Johnston's first appearance of the year wearing the red, white, and blue and sixth career cap with the United States squad. With only three months until the opening kick-off at the 2014 FIFA Women's World Cup, Johnston will continue to make her case for solidifying her spot on the final roster in future tune-up games. The Americans will return to the pitch on March 6 at 9 a.m. PST to take on Switzerland.
In today's match, Carli Lloyd's brace propelled the United State to victory. After squandering a goal just before halftime, Lloyd provided the Americans with a lift in the 55th minute. She fired an 18-yard shot that rocketed into the left side of the net to knot the score at 1-1. The American midfielder followed suit just seven minutes later with a penalty shot that found the top-right portion of the goal.
