USWNT Play Australia to 1-1 Draw in 2021 Friendly; Ashley Hatch Scores Goal

The United States Women's National Soccer Team played Australia to a 1-1 draw Tuesday in a friendly at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, Australia.

The match was the USWNT's final one of 2021, and it saw Australia bounce back from a 3-0 loss suffered at the hands of the Americans on Friday.

Team USA seemed poised for another convincing victory Tuesday, as Ashley Hatch scored in the fourth minute to give the USWNT a 1-0 lead:

The United States kept knocking on the door throughout and largely carried the play with 16 shots toward the net and seven shots on goal compared to just eight overall shots and two shots on frame for Australia.

The Matildas managed to hang in there long enough to net an equalizer, however, as a shot by Kyah Simon in the 88th minute deflected off Team USA's Becky Sauerbrunn and past goalkeeper Casey Murphy, much to the delight of the crowd:

Despite how late Simon's game-tying goal was scored, the USWNT nearly managed to steal the match in stoppage time when Lindsey Horan put the ball in the back of the net. However, she was ruled to be offside:

While the United States had no shortage of talent in the lineup Tuesday, the Americans were still without many of their biggest stars.

Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz and Christen Press were just a few of the players who weren't available against Australia.

With the draw, the USWNT extended its unbeaten streak to seven matches. Its most recent loss came in the semifinals of the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo against Canada by a 1-0 score.

The United States went on to beat Australia 4-3 to win the bronze medal, though, and the Americans now own a 2-0-2 record over the Aussies this year.

Overall, the USWNT went 18-2-4 in 2021, earning an Olympic bronze medal and winning the SheBelieves Cup for the second year in a row and fourth time in six years.

Team USA has no matches scheduled for 2022 as of yet, but preparations for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will begin to ramp up during the new year.