Abby Wambach Named Female Athlete of the Year
Abby Wambach has been named 2011 Female Athlete of the Year for her late-game heroics during last summer’s Women’s World Cup.
Voted on by members of The Associated Press, Wambach received 65 of 214 votes for the award. Her teammate, Hope Solo, came in second with 38 votes and University of Connecticut basketball icon Maya Moore was third with 35 votes.
Wambach is the first individual soccer player to win an AP annual sports award. The award, which began in 1931, was won by the 1999 U.S. Women’s World Cup team.
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Wambach was also named Sportswoman of the Year by the Women’s Sports Foundation. The victory over Brazil that Wambach became famous for was named the top sports accomplishment of the year in a Marist poll, and the Women’s World Cup was 10th in the voting for AP Sports Story of the Year.
Wambach, who is ranked 3rd in all-time World Cup scoring, scored a last second, game-tying goal in last summer’s quarterfinal round against Brazil. The U.S. team was down one goal and headed for their earliest exit ever from the World Cup. Wambach motivated her team, screaming that all they needed was one chance.
The chance came in the form of an assist from Megan Rapinoe in minute 122 of stoppage time. With the American team 90 seconds away from being sent home, Wambach rose above Brazilian defenders to head the 30 yard assist from Rapinoe into the goal. The stadium erupted as Wambach tied the match, which was won by the U.S. in a penalty kick shootout.
“It just seemed surreal. Even in the moment, I was feeling like it was a dream because we were so against the ropes and everything was pointed to us going down that day,” Wambach said.
She added, “But there was something inside of us that wasn’t going to allow that to happen. We weren’t quite ready to give up.”
The upset became immortalized in sports history, and the U.S. women’s soccer was elevated to a level of fame not seen since Mia Hamm and the 1999 World Cup victory.
“We, as a team, did something that no team since Mia Hamm was able to do,” Wambach told AP. “Even the team that won the (Olympic) gold medal in 2008 wasn’t able to inspire and get people excited about women’s soccer. It goes to show you the impact drama can bring.”
The drama led to endorsements from American A-listers like Tom Hanks, Lil Wayne and Aaron Rodgers. The U.S. team got face time on the Jumbotron at Yankee Stadium, and women’s soccer was at the forefront of the sports world.
Wambach continued her late-game heroics in the semifinal victory against France, where she scored a go-ahead header in minute 79. She also scored a tying goal in minute 104 of stoppage time in the final against Japan, which the U.S. lost 3-1 in a penalty kick shootout.
Despite the loss, the women were treated like heroes for their inspiring run in the World Cup.
The U.S. Women’s Soccer team has consistently been one of the most dominant teams in the world. They are the defending Olympic champions, winning three out of four gold medals since 1996. They also won two of the first three Women’s World Cups.
Analysts call Wambach one of the greatest soccer players in the world. During her career, she has amassed 13 World Cup goals (four of them in 2011), which is the most by an American. She has 125 career goals, which is third only to Kristine Lilly with 130, and Mia Hamm with 158.
