U.S. women’s soccer tops Ireland in exhibition

SAN DIEGO – Cat Whitehill scored two goals and the U.S. women’s national team defeated Ireland 5-0 in an exhibition match Sunday.

The United States has won five consecutive matches against Ireland, scoring five goals each time.

U.S. controlled the match, outshooting Ireland 36-3.

Heather O’Reilly gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute on a nifty setup by Christie Welsh.

O’Reilly was on her way to making the 2003 Women’s World Cup team, but suffered a broken leg while scoring a goal against Ireland. She was the youngest player on the 2004 Olympic Team at age 22.

“I tried not to think about those bad memories,” O’Reilly said.

The U.S. team is 16-0-4 since April, 2005.