USA Women Solidify Position after Vancouver

“We came into this weekend with the goal of being on the podium, and it’s frustrating to fall short of that," said USA Head Coach Emilie Bydwell. "But how we went about our business in terms of behavior and actions we’ve been working on really put us in a good position. We had two second-half comebacks on day one, which is something we’ve been striving to improve. In the golden point game against Australia, we really felt like we were in a position to win. It’s just the little details in the end that we didn’t get quite right that ended up punishing us. It hurts, but we still have an opportunity to learn from it.

"In the Canada game, we were less clinical than we needed to be in the beginning and when we had opportunities. We let them get momentum to put points on the board, and we went down players. We talked a lot about possession and discipline against Canada, and when we don’t follow that, they’re going to put pressure on us. We see this as the next building block going into LA, our home tournament. We know as a team that we’ve improved since Perth, and the placing doesn’t necessarily show that. We’re very clear on what we’ve improved and what our opportunities are. The challenge is to go out and respond, not take a step backward. I’m proud of the players for doing that. We’re leaving Vancouver on a mission and feel we’ve taken steps in the right direction.”