Salazar and Vidal help Colombia to draw against U.S.

MANAUS, Brazil – In what proved to be their final outing of the 2016 Olympic Games, former Kansas soccer stars Liana Salazar and Ingrid Vidal left Brazil with a bang as they aided Colombia to a 2-2 draw with the United States Tuesday evening inside Amazonia Arena. Salazar started her third-straight match and played the full 90 minutes for the Colombian squad, while Vidal entered in the 80th minute.
 
The Colombians shocked the world’s top-ranked squad by handing the U.S. its first deficit of the Olympics with a goal in the 26th minute, the first goal the Colombians have ever scored against the Americans. With Salazar on the attack, she was taken down by a hard foul by American midfielder, Megan Rapinoe, which gave the Colombian side a free kick from five yards outside the penalty area. Catalina Usme converted on the try and put in the Colombians’ first goal of the tournament.
 
The U.S. would take the lead in the second half, but the Colombian side struck late to salvage the draw. Usme struck, once again on a free kick, in the 90th minute to claim the brace.
 
Despite playing level with the top team in the world, the Colombians failed to advance out of the group stage after losses to France and New Zealand last week. Salazar and Vidal played in all three matches of the Olympic tournament, which Salazar among the starting lineup in all three contests and playing the full 90 minutes in two of those outings. Vidal came on as a sub in the three matches and averaged just under 15 minutes per appearance.
 
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