6 August 2012 - Better Late Than Never

On 6 August 2012, the US women advanced to the gold medal match thanks to the latest goal ever scored in Olympic history.

The game was the second women's semifinal, with Japan already advancing with a 2-1 win over France. The US were up against neighbors and rivals Canada, who had just eliminated hosts Great Britain in the quarterfinals.

Playing at Old Trafford in Manchester, the two teams traded a pair of goals each from Canada's Christine Sinclair (22', 67') and the US's Megan Rapinoe (54', 70') to remain level deep into the second half. All four goals were impressive, but Rapinoe's were particularly so, as her first goal snuck in directly from a corner kick and her second was a long-range blast off the opposite post from the edge of the penalty area.

Sinclair then completed her hat-trick in the 73rd minute, which also made her the tournament's leading scorer, before US forward Abby Wambach converted an 80th-minute penalty to bring the sides level once again. They remained level into the second half of extra time. Then, in the third minute of stoppage time, US forward Alex Morgan scored with a header to secure the victory.

The US went into the final, where they beat Japan in a rematch of the 2011 World Cup Final. Canada did not go home empty-handed, though, beating France to claim the bronze.



[Photo credit: Jamie McDonald/FIFA/Getty Images]

19 July 2009 - Home Is Where The Hundredth Goal Is

On 19 July 2009, US forward Abby Wambach scored her 100th international goal in a friendly win over Canada. And she did it in record time.

Wambach first joined the national team in 2003 and scored the match-winner in the final of the 2004 Summer Olympics. Three years later, she scored six goals in the World Cup as the US finished third, but she missed the 2008 Summer Olympics with a broken leg.

She recovered in time for the friendly against Canada, held in Wambach's hometown of Rochester, New York. The match remained scoreless deep into the second half until Wambach found the net in the 78th minute (with an assist from Lauren Cheney, who had taken her spot in the squad for the 2008 Olympics).

With the goal, Wambach became the ninth woman in history to score 100 goals. She was the fourth American to do so, but reached the milestone in her 129th cap, faster than any other player in team history.

Since then, she has continued to add to that number, with a current tally of 160 that makes her the team's all-top top scorer.