Megan Rapinoe's goal advances U.S. women to semis — and gives the Women's World Cup an iconic moment

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Megan Rapinoe's goal advances U.S. women to semis — and gives the Women's World Cup an iconic moment

Women’s soccer had been waiting for its version of “The Catch” or the “Shot Heard Round The World.” Now, it has Megan Rapinoe’s cross.

Trailing 2-1 in what were the final moments of stoppage time in a World Cup quarterfinal against Brazil, Rapinoe received the ball on the left flank, aimed her shot mid-stride, then looped a pearl of a pass 30 yards toward the goal. The ball seemed to hone in on Abby Wambach, who miraculously connected to head into the net in the 122nd minute. The U.S. won the game in a penalty kick shootout, advancing to the semis to face France tomorrow.

For bringing the U.S. back from the precipice of defeat, the equalizer is already considered the biggest goal in U.S. women’s soccer history.

“I just took a touch and friggin’ smacked it with my left foot,” Rapinoe said after the game. “I don’t think I’ve ever hit a ball like that with my left foot. I got it to the back post and that beast in the air just got a hold of it.”

“Rapinoe was Joe Montana,” said Marc Connolly, assistant head coach at Holy Cross. “Wambach was Dwight Clark.”

Before Rapinoe’s cross, the Women’s World Cup was a midsummer curiosity in Germany to Americans. Now the U.S. team is an embraceable bunch of miracle-makers, and the country is checking in by any means necessary. They were the Monday morning cover girls of newspapers coast to coast. A YouTube video of the play reached over 144,000 views in less than 24 hours — likely the byproduct of word-of-mouth reaction about the victory.

The victory also drew a 2.6 overnight television rating, the best since the 1999 U.S. team played and won the World Cup on its own soil against China — with Brandi Chastain famously doffing her jersey after booting the clinching penalty kick in the final. It is that ’99 team that Rapinoe, Wambach and the rest of the squad measure themselves against.

“Having your dreams seemingly vanish before your eyes and then ultimately staying alive by a miraculous play makes the U.S. as dangerous as they’ve ever been,” said Connolly. “This generation of players has long hungered for the limelight of the one before them.”

Like Chastain, Rapinoe has dealt with knee injuries and earned a reputation for being on the goofy side off the field and an athletic terror on it. After netting a goal in a 3-0 pasting of Colombia earlier in the tournament, the midfielder sprinted toward a television boom microphone, took hold of it and tapped it to see if it was working, then began belting out the Bruce Springsteen classic “Born in the USA.”

“She may be the most colorful character the team has,” offered Connolly.

She’s also a unique presence on the pitch, a slasher who can create in wide spaces. While Wambach is one of the team’s all-time leading scorers and goalkeeper Hope Solo is the fiery centerpiece, it’s Rapinoe’s All-American gusto that set in motion the nation’s renewed crush on the U.S. women.

“I’m really proud of Megan for putting in maybe the most beautiful left-footed cross she’s ever put in in her life,” Wambach said in an interview with U.S. soccer. “This is a special team … this kind of gives you the kind of confidence that just makes you feel like you can fly.”