The United States is off to a strong start in its quest to defend its SheBelieves Cup title.

After the bulk of the match went by scoreless, Rose Lavelle's 79th minute goal sent the USWNT to a 1-0 victory over Canada in its first game of the tournament Thursday. 

The win extends the United States' unbeaten streak to 35 matches. The group has not faltered on home soil in 51 games. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski, who the team appointed in 2019, extended his record to 14-0-0 with the win. 

The USWNT got a glimpse of its potential when Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe made their debuts in January after missing most of 2020.

But with Christen Press back from England, where she was dealing with an illness while playing with Manchester United and Alex Morgan back from a bout with COVID-19, the USWNT was in full force against a depleted Canada team. 

At the Tournoi de France last March, Team Canada scored twice in three games. In the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying final, they faced the United States and didn't find the net in a 3-0 loss.

Canada's rising star last year was Jordyn Huitema, who scored seven goals in 2020. Behind her, Christine Sinclair—the all-time leading international scorer—had three and Ashley Lawrence had two. None of them are rostered for the SheBelieves Cup. 

Suffice to say things looked bleak for Canada entering Thursday's matchup.

They got even worse early on when keeper Kailen Sheridan went down with an injury in the 11th minute. She was replaced by Stephanie Labbe, and together they combined to save six shots on target from the USWNT. 

Alyssa Naeher saved Canada's only two shots on target to keep the first half scoreless. 

Naeher was called to action again when the Canadians opened the second half with a big chance. 

After an uneventful first hour for the U.S. offense, Press, Morgan and Rose Lavelle made their way onto the pitch to replace Lloyd, Rapinoe and Catarina Macario. 

The United States ended the night with 10 shots on target compared to Canada's three. 

Ultimately, the shorthanded Canadian group challenged the United States, but the hosts were able to emerge with the win to take three points toward the tournament standings, where they join Brazil at the top of the leaderboard after Brazil's defeat of Argentina earlier in the day.  

What's Next? 

Things pick back up against on Sunday. The United States play Brazil at 3 p.m. ET before Argentina and Canada face off at 6 p.m. ET.