Cat Macario scored two goals and the United States defeated Italy 3-0 in a friendly at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday night.
It was the first of two friendlies between the teams, the second scheduled for December 1 in Fort Lauderdale.
Olivia Moultrie also scored and goalkeeper Claudia Dickie earned a goal in her fifth senior appearance.
“I think obviously we wanted to continue to build on the performances we had last camp and focus on coming out strong and sticking to our principles, and I think that's what we did,” said U.S. veteran Rose Lavelle, who earned her 116th cap. “Overall, I think it was a really good team game.”
The United States wasted no time in attacking Italy goalkeeper Laura Giuliani and scoring within the first two minutes.
Fresh off winning the NWSL title with Gotham, Lilly Reale found teammate Lavelle to start the sequence. Lavelle then passed Alyssa Thompson, who quickly returned the ball. Lavelle found Moultrie, who scored her second goal in as many appearances for the team.
“We talked about starting fast and strong, and I think the momentum has been realized,” Moultrie said. “We had a really good week of practice, so I feel like that carried over into the first few minutes of the game.”
Lavelle's call for offside in the 48th minute denied Moultrie a second goal.
In the 64th minute, Sam Coffey dribbled the ball down the middle and found Macario shooting to her left. Macario took the pass and fired a shot into the far side to give the U.S. a two-goal lead.
Macario added her second goal in the 76th minute when she caught a pass from the team's youngest player, 18-year-old Lili Johannes, and fired a shot from the top right side of the penalty area into the far side of the goal.
It was Macario's 15th goal in 28 caps. Macario has 18 goals in his last 14 matches in the United States.
“It was a great win, it’s always a pleasure to be with this team,” said Macario, who has 12 goals and six assists since February 2022. “I’m so happy to be in this environment and feel like it really helps you become the best version of yourself.
“It's lucky that [US coach Emma Hayes] knows me very well and knows what I can bring to the team. It was a good year… where I was just trying to find some consistency… just trying to find my rhythm.”
