As you all know, Trinity Rodman scored the best goal ever in Olympic soccer for both men and women.
Making her Summer Olympic debut, U.S. women’s forward Rodman capped off an incredible American counterattack by receiving the ball from midfielder Lindsey Horan on the left wing and executing a perfect Cruyff turn, evading two Zambia defenders in the process, before firing a right-footed pass over Zambia goalkeeper Ngambo Msore’s head for the first goal of the game.
The only thing the goalkeeper could have seen was pink — not her own bright pink jersey, but Rodman’s distinctive pink braids, who scored the first of her three goals in the first half.
The game will mark Swanson’s 31st consecutive appearance with the varsity team. So far in the 2023-24 season, she has been involved in a team-high 10 scoring chances and has recorded five goals and five assists.
Not to be outdone, fellow forward Mallory Swanson also scored two goals (soccer term for two goals scored by one player), setting a U.S. soccer record and the fastest goals scored by a single player, male or female, in a major tournament. Swanson’s goals, scored in the 24th and 25th minutes of the first half, were just 66 minutes apart.
66 – Mallory Swanson’s goals 66 seconds apart are the fastest two goals scored by a single player in a major tournament since 2010. #US Women’s National Team Fastest ever (previous record: 2 minutes 19 seconds, set by Carli Lloyd in the 2015 World Cup final). pic.twitter.com/Ha1EVkJ7UQ
— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) July 25, 2024
Mind you, there was still half a cup left.
In just 45 minutes, the U.S. showed they had what it took to compete for the gold medal against an underdog, and in the process made new head coach Emma Hayes look like a genius at the helm of this lineup.
Enjoy the game!
