The U.S. Women’s National Team went dutch against the Netherlands.

And as a result, they dropped points in the group stage at a World Cup for the first time since 2011. A 1-1 draw against the Netherlands is not quite a five-alarm fire, but it is a wake-up call for a team that did not show up for the first half Wednesday and looked in real danger of losing the match entirely.

Thanks to some heroics from Lindsey Horan, they ended up dodging the bullet.

Horan went down at 59 minutes following a challenge from Danielle van de Donk to which she took exception. After an extended dialogue with the referee a few minutes later, Horan elevated to head in a corner kick for an equalizing goal in the 62nd minute.

“I think once we got to that tackle, all I wanted to do was score,” Horan told Fox following the match. “Heat of the moment, I got a little pissed at her, but Rose [Lavelle] put in an absolute dime. I got on the end of it.”

After a disaster of a first half in which the U.S. trailed 1-0, that turned out to be the fire they needed to avoid an earth-shaking loss. But it wasn’t enough to turn the game into a statement win.

A second half the U.S. had controlled prior to Horan’s goal became an onslaught after it.

By the time the final whistle blew, the Americans had outshot their opposition 18-5, with 11 corner kicks to one and four shots on target to one.

Where passes came a beat late and attacking moves looked a bit too indecisive in the first half, the U.S. found its level in the second, with Lavelle on the field for Savannah DeMelo.

Alex Morgan had a go-ahead goal waved off for offside just a few minutes after Horan’s equalizer, but the tone had been reset.

“Nothing changed much from a tactical standpoint,” coach Vlatko Andonovski told Fox. “We were just a little bit more aggressive. The mentality is what changed the most. Not necessarily the mentality — the belief.”

Trinity Rodman had another great chance in the 82nd minute but shot it wide. Like against Vietnam, the Americans left a few too many chances on the table.

This time, it cost them points.

Instead of clinching passage to the knockout stage, the USWNT exited the match level with the Dutch on points, with four apiece, but ahead on goal differential.

Both teams will be favored in their final games.

But because the U.S. only beat Vietnam 3-0, it is more than possible that the Dutch could end up in front on goal differential after they get a crack at Vietnam while the Americans have a more difficult match against Portugal.

The U.S. could also fail to advance entirely, if Portugal beats Vietnam and scores a major upset against the Americans on Tuesday.

The major takeaway from Wednesday, though, is that the USWNT could be in real danger come the knockout rounds.

“If you perform at such a high level for a long time, you are allowed to have a great amount of confidence,” Dutch coach Andries Jonker told ESPN in translated comments ahead of the match. “But on the other side, pride comes before a fall, so it’s on us to be the first to show their time to fall has come.”

The U.S. is far from done in this World Cup. But the Dutch team backed up their coach in a big way Wednesday. Jill Roord’s 17th-minute goal marked the first time since the 2011 quarterfinals that the U.S. had even trailed in a World Cup game.

It was the first real test for a U.S. squad that came into New Zealand spotted with question marks, and it took a while for them to stand up to it.

The complexion of the game quickly changed in the second half, though, with Lavelle in the game and the Dutch inviting pressure by sitting back.

“The belief is what got them through,” Andonovski said. “Think as we get forward, we’re gonna see more of what you saw in the second half.”

Still, this was far from an inspired performance.

And though it may not have been a knockout, the Dutch struck a large blow against the Americans’ air of superiority on Wednesday.