Top 5 moments in U.S. women’s soccer history
By Nicole Bosco
3. “The Save Heard Around the World”
The United States team was coming into the 2012 Summer Olympic games following the heartbreaking defeat by Japan in the 2011 World Cup. Despite being a favorite to win the games, the team had their share of trouble leading up to these games.
Goalkeeper Hope Solo was cited by the USADA for a banned substance. Solo was found to be negligent of taking a prescribed medication containing the banned substance. Since she took this substance without knowledge of its contents she was able to proceed with just a warning.
This negative attention pushed Solo to work twice as hard to turn the public image of her around. She had one of her best performances at the 2012 Olympic Games, but it was in the gold medal match against Japan that she really shined. Solo had many amazing saves in this game, but it was in the 82nd minute that she made a save that will be remembered for a long time.
The Japanese player Mana Iwabuchi, who had just entered the game had a wide open shot to tie up the game. She kicked a strong shot at the goal, but a diving Solo was able to get two hands on the ball and shot it away, in turn saving the game and securing the U.S a gold medal at last. That save is now known as “The Save Heard Around the World.”
Next: 2004 Summer Olympic Games