Hannah Wilkinson, twice denied on near goals, chipped in a 15-yard shot in the 87th minute to allow New Zealand to forge a 1-1 draw with the United States in a friendly Wednesday night at Crew Stadium.
Sydney Leroux scored in the 42nd minute for the Americans.
The U.S., utilizing a 4-3-3 attack, pressed for most of the first half. The Americans finally broke through when Kristie Mewis fed Leroux, whose low shot just beat New Zealand goalie Erin Nayler inside the near post. It stayed that way until Wilkinson swooped in from the right side, sidestepped a defender and beat goalie Hope Solo. Solo had three saves for the Americans,12-0-3 this year and unbeaten in their last 38 games (32-0-6).
The U.S. finished with five shots on goal, New Zealand with four. The Americans ran their home unbeaten streak to 76 matches, extending all the way back to a 3-1 setback to Denmark in Philadelphia on Nov. 6, 2004.
The match was played before a crowd of 15,139 with the temperature in the 60s at the start. Leroux seemed to always be around a scoring opportunity. She was just wide with another blast in the 70th minute before substituting out.
The U.S. threatened to score most of the opening half. Many in the partisan crowd felt the Americans had made it 2-0 during stoppage time, but Leroux's goal was waved off because of a foul called against Abby Wambach an instant earlier. Wambach, with 37 goals in her past 43 games over the past two years, had a penalty kick at the 9-minute mark, but Nayler made a brilliant diving stop.
Wambach, who has scored more goals in international competition than anyone (162), had a clean shot at header in the 27th minute but the ball ended up hitting the crossbar and trickling off the back of the goal. Meanwhile, Solo seldom saw much action. The only real chance for New Zealand in the early going came in the 32nd minute when Wilkinson, on a rush from the right wing, got off a shot that Solo grabbed.
Solo's finest save came in the 54th minute when she leaped to push aside another long, hard shot by Wilkinson. In stoppage time, she caught a shot by New Zealand's Sarah Gregorius. The United States had scored at least three goals in its last eight games, four or more in the last five. But this win was predicated on defense. It was the second meeting between the teams in four days. The Americans won 4-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on Sunday.
The Americans have scored 52 goals and allowed just 10 this year, three of those scores from European champion Germany in an April 5 friendly in Offenbach, Germany. Opponents have scored only three goals in the last seven matches against the U.S.
The US women last played at Crew Stadium in 2011, beating Japan 2-0. They are 4-1-1 at the venue, which has also been a decided home-field advantage for the American men during World Cup qualifying. The U.S. team completes its 2013 schedule against fourth-ranked Brazil on Nov. 10 at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
