SAN DIEGO — Toko Koga scored early in the second half and Japan handed the United States its first loss under Coach Emma Hayes with a 2-1 victory Wednesday night in the SheBelieves Cup title game.
The Americans had not lost since last February when they fell to Mexico, 2-0, in the CONCACAF W Gold Cup. The loss also snapped the U.S. team’s string of five straight titles in the annual small-field tournament, now in its 10th year.
The United States and Japan were both undefeated in the tournament heading into the final match at Snapdragon Stadium.
“Of course we want to win. No one wants to lose these things,” Hayes said. “But we didn’t put out our most experienced team. We put out a team we’re hoping to develop, and our goals go beyond just the SheBelieves.”
The U.S. had been unbeaten in the last 14 games against Japan. The Americans’ last loss to Japan came in 2012.
Japan took the early lead with Yuka Momiki’s goal in the second minute. But Ally Sentnor tied it for the U.S. in the 14th with an assist from Catarina Macario.
Sentnor, the U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year, has scored in both her starts for the team.
Japan pulled back in front on Koga’s goal in the 50th minute. She had come into the match as a second-half substitute.
“They were a higher level to us throughout the whole evening,” said Hayes, who is 15-1-2 as the U.S. coach.
Hayes, who took over the team late last May and led the team to a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, made 10 changes to the roster she used in a 2-1 victory over Australia on Sunday.
Jane Campbell got her eighth career start in goal for the national team as Hayes looks to develop goalkeepers after Alyssa Naeher’s retirement last year.
The U.S. team was playing in the tournament without the trio of Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia (Smith) Wilson. Rodman is rehabbing a back injury, Smith was not yet in game form and Swanson was out for personal commitments.
“I’d love to have all of our top players available, I want that, but I can only pick the players that are available,” Hayes said. “I think you want to learn this lesson now. This is the game I really wanted for us to really see where players who have played less than five matches for the national team, what’s really missing for them, whether it’s in possession or out of possession.”
Japan was coming off a 4-1 victory over Colombia on Sunday. Mina Tanaka, who plays for the Utah Royals in the NWSL, led all players in with four goals and three assists and was named tournament MVP.
Colombia got its first win in its SheBelieves finale earlier Wednesday. Wendy Bonilla and Catalina Usme both scored in a 2-1 victory over Australia.
The Matildas, playing without star Sam Kerr, were winless in the tournament. Kerr has not played for the national team since ACL surgery last January.