![]() ![]() ![]() You probably don't want to watch this - and if you saw it the first time, you know exactly what "this" is. ![]() So it was serendipitous that she became the fifth American woman to accumulate 100 international goals by scoring on her home turf. Part of the Wambach narrative has always involved her roots, growing up in Pittsford, a Rochester suburb, and going toe to toe (or elbow to elbow, or fist to fist) with her brothers. Jamie Squire/Getty Images 2009: Scores 100th international goal at homeĪlmost a year to the day after breaking her leg in a game against Brazil in the final pre-Olympics match in 2008 (an injury that forced her to miss the competition won by the United States), Wambach was back on the field for a friendly against Canada in her hometown of Rochester, N.Y. Abby Wambach helped lead the United States to an Olympic gold medal last summer at the London Olympics. Tied after 90 minutes in the gold-medal match, her header in the 112th minute was enough for a 2-1 win that put the United States back on top of the women's soccer world. Enter Wambach's head, not for the first or last time. Heather O'Reilly's extra-time goal gave the Americans their revenge against the Germans in the Olympic semifinals in Athens, but Brazil still stood in the way of a gold medal. 2004: Beats Brazil for Olympic gold medalĪ semifinal loss against Germany in the 2003 World Cup, Wambach's first, left the United States and its rising star with something to prove in 2004. Foreshadowing the late heroics to come in subsequent years, she scored the winner against the Beat in the 96th minute to earn MVP honors. Her signature moment came the following season, when she scored both goals in a 2-1 win in the championship game against the Atlanta Beat. Playing for the Washington Freedom, where she was teammates with Hamm, Wambach was named the league's top rookie in 2002. Much like in college, Wambach didn't need much time to acclimate to new surroundings once she arrived in the Women's United Soccer Association, the first of three attempts to establish a women's professional league in this country. It remains the only soccer title for an SEC school. During her freshman season, playing an Alex Morgan running mate-type role for established All-American Danielle Fotopoulos, Wambach totaled 19 goals and 12 assists in 26 games en route to a national championship. But the run of hardware that would continue throughout her career began as soon as she arrived in Gainesville. Only a semifinal overtime loss against Santa Clara prevented Florida from playing for a championship that season. Wambach's greatest individual success at the University of Florida came as a senior, when she led the Gators to the College Cup and totaled 31 goals and 14 assists. So what else makes the list? 1998: Wins NCAA championship as a freshman The record-breaking performance in Harrison, N.J., will take its place among her most memorable moments. With four goals in a friendly against South Korea on Thursday, Abby Wambach moved past former United States star Mia Hamm and became the all-time world leader with 160 international goals. If you are going to break an all-time goal-scoring record, you might as well do it in style. ![]()
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