O’Reilly lifts US to win over South Korea

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)—Heather O’Reilly scored in the 72nd minute and the U.S. women’s team beat South Korea 1-0 in an exhibition match Saturday night.

The U.S., which won gold at the Beijing Olympics in August, improved to 31-1-2 this year. The team’s only loss came in the opening match of the Summer Games to Norway. The previous U.S. high for wins in a year (28) was set in 2004.

Natasha Kai set up the winning goal with a cross just past the outstretched arms of South Korean keeper Kim Jung Mi to O’Reilly, who easily knocked the ball in with her left foot.

“For me, it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time,” O’Reilly said.

The match was the sixth on the team’s “Achieve Your Gold Tour,” an eight-match series of exhibitions across the country that ends Dec. 17 in Detroit. The U.S. played South Korea three times on the tour, going 2-0-1. Its final two matches are against China.

The U.S. outshot South Korea 11-5.

Before O’Reilly’s goal, the team’s best chance to score came in the 49th minute when two O’Reilly headers hit the crossbar in a matter of seconds.

U.S. keeper Nicole Barnhart had two saves.