Colombia loses to USA in World Cup action

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University of Toledo junior Natalia Gaitàn and her Colombia teammates put forth a gallant effort but suffered a 3-0 setback to the United States before a sellout crowd of 25,475 Saturday in a Group C match at the 2011 Women’s World Cup.

The USA is 2-0-0 in group play and will advance to the knockout stage of the competition, while Colombia falls to 0-2-0.

Heather O’Reilly, Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd each found the back of the net for the red, white and blue, which held a 27-12 advantage in shots.

Colombia thought it had a goal just before halftime, but Katerin Castro’s shot was waved off and replays showed she was offside.

Colombia’s other opportunity to score came in the 54th minute, when Orianica Velasquez came in as a substitute and immediately got possession. She took a shot, but USA goalkeeper Hope Solo punched it away.

Gaitàn and Colombia will wrap up their first-ever World Cup experience against Korea DPR (0-2-0) Wednesday, July 6, at 2:45 p.m. The contest will be televised live on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com.