THE UNITED STATES U-20 women’s national team opened up its World Cup campaign in Edmonton Tuesday night, losing 2-0 to Germany in the first game of group play. It was a back-and-forth match full of chances for both sides.

Lena Petermann and Theresa Panfil scored second-half goals for Germany, lifting the 2012 World Cup runners up to the top of the standings in Group B. The loss will put the U.S. in the position of needing results against its next two group-stage opponents, Brazil (10 p.m. ET; ESPNU) and China. Here are four thoughts on the match.

Katelyn Rowland Was All Over the Place

UCLA junior Katelyn Rowland made a series of fantastic saves Tuesday night....matched only by a number of equally bad mistakes.

Throughout the match, the goalkeeper came off her line well to scoop up balls over the top, punch away services into the area, and make a number of point-blank saves.

However, she also made a number of serious mistakes, including two big ones in the first half. On one, she misjudged a ball over the top and, caught outside of the 18, was forced to head the ball out of danger. On another, she came off her line to punch away a service and missed, and defender Katie Naughton was forced into a sliding clearance on the goal line to keep the ball out of the net.

Early in the second half, Rowland came out on a ball over the top and missed it completely. Somehow, Germany failed to capitalize on the chance, hitting the post as the American defenders frantically fell onto the goal line to protect the U.S.’s open net.

Still, Rowland was strong for much of the match and had a number of solid saves, keeping the game level until the 65th minute and close at 1-0 until Germany notched its second goal in the 90th minute. But going forward into the tournament, she’ll also need to be much more consistent.

Rose Lavelle is One to Watch

One of the few Americans who consistently impressed Tuesday night was Wisconsin sophomore Rose Lavelle. Playing as one of the U.S.’s holding midfielders, Lavelle was a part of nearly every productive attack the Americans mustered.

Her composure on the ball and technical quality were impressive, as was her ability to see the field, switch the point of attack, and pry open the German defense with her pinpoint passes.

Although the U.S. senior women’s team is well-stocked with quality center midfielders, Lavelle could make a push to play with the full national team sooner rather than later.

The Attacking Was Lacking

While Lindsey Horan was solid up top as the U.S.’s center forward, she received little in the way of help and didn’t finish the chances she had. While Horan held the ball up particularly well and was strong in the air, she failed to capitalize on a chance she created in the 53rd minute when she split two defenders in the box. She also missed a wide-open header on a set piece in the 71st minute.

Horan’s attacking partners also need to do much more to help her. While midfielder Mallory Pugh did show some promising attacking runs, she didn’t produce enough in the final third. Wide forwards Savannah Jordan and Margaret Purce, as well as second-half substitutes Summer Green and Makenzy Doniak, also didn’t do enough to break down the German defense.

The U.S. Defense Was Shaky

The U.S. back line struggled from start to finish. Left back Brittany Basinger looked completely out of her element as attack after attack was launched by the Germans down her side of the field. Center back Katie Naughton also struggled at times, giving the ball away twice in the defensive third—both of which resulted in dangerous German chances.

Cari Roccaro, who was a part of the U.S.’s U-20 team that won the World Cup in 2012 and who is captaining the side this time around, struggled with the German’s pace up top and could have done better on both goals the U.S. gave up.

Holding midfielder Andi Sullivan added little to the game and gave the ball away repeatedly, including on the play that resulted in the opening goal for Germany. Similarly, neither of the U.S.’s outside backs contributed much on the offensive end, which limited the U.S.’s width in the attack.

John D. Halloran is an American Soccer Now columnist. Follow him on Twitter.