On a night when both teams went with youth, the U.S. starters had an average age of 22 and no player had more than 26 previous international appearances.

Duan, making her first international appearance, entered at the start of the second half and scored on a 22-yard shot that deflected off goalkeeper Jaime Pagliarulo, who was able to get only a tiny piece of the ball.

``We were fortunate to win the game,'' China coach Ma Yaunan said. ``We have played the USA many times and have lost most of the games, but today we were lucky. We, too, learn much from the USA as far as their aggression and fighting spirit.''

The goal set off screaming among the 10,000 fans at Yingdong Stadium.

``That was an Olympic-type crowd out there in that they made so much noise out there that the players can't hear each other,'' U.S. coach April Heinrichs said. ``But that's a great environment for our younger players to step into.''

Pagliarulo got a break in the 55th minute when Bai Jaie hit a post on a penalty kick awarded following a hand ball in front of the U.S. goal.

Defender Kate Sobrero was U.S. captain for the first time. The Americans had just one shot in the first half.

``They went after China. and we were under a great deal of pressure but still found a way to be 0-0 with one minute left,'' Heinrichs said. ``In some ways, that made it more difficult to lose because we really were getting better during the course of the game.''

The United States plays China again on Sunday at Huang Lung Stadium in Hangzhou. Following September's Olympics, where the U.S. team finished second, the Americans have gone into a rebuilding mode.

``I was committed to playing several players regardless of the score because with the Women's World Cup 2 1/2 years away, right now the process is more important than the result,'' Heinrichs said.

Copyright 2001, The Associated Press.