New Zealand and Liverpool defender Meikayla Moore recorded an unfortunate treble of own goals during her side’s 5-0 thrashing at the hands of the United States of America in the SheBelieves Cup.
On the occasion of her 50th international cap for New Zealand, Moore recorded an unfortunate piece of history. The 25-year-old defender became just the second player in recorded history to score a hattrick of accidental own goals after Stan van den Buijs.
Moore’s reverse treble, combined with goals from Ashley Hatch and Mallory Pugh, helped the United States of America record a 5-0 win in their second game of the SheBelieves Cup.
The first of Moore’s own goals came in the fifth minute. Successive fouls allowed the USA to progress upfield quickly, and the ball was played out wide to attacker Sophia Smith, whose whipped cross came off Moore’s shin and deceived her goalkeeper. Disaster struck again for the Liverpool defender a minute later, when Margaret Purce’s header off a Sofia Huerta cross flicked off Moore’s head and landed in the back of her net.
Moore’s tragic treble came to a completion in the 36th minute – Purce involved again in her misery. The USA star drove to the byline and crossed the ball into a dangerous area where it was scuffed into her own net, for the third time in the half, by Moore. The defender was withdrawn in the 40th minute by her coach Jitka Klimkova.
As she watched from the sidelines, USA added two more goals to the scoreline, the first of which came in the 51st minute. Huerta, whose teasing deliveries into the box had caused New Zealand trouble, whipped in a dangerous cross towards the six-yard box where it was flicked in for 4-0 by Ashley Hatch. Mallory Pugh wrapped up the 5-0 win with a goal in the third minute of stoppage time, her finish confident and in the corner after a burst through the opposition defence.
USA’s win sets up a winner-takes-all clash between them and current leaders Iceland in their final game of the SheBelieves Cup. New Zealand, without a win, take on the Czech Republic in the other fixture.
