Tag → Abby Wambach

Abby Wambach Wins Sportswoman of the Year Award

20 October, 08:55, by admin Tags: , ,

Last night, the Women’s Sports Foundation held the 32nd Annual Salute to Women in Sports Gala at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. The event, which was hosted by ESPN personality Bonnie Bernstein, was attended by high-profile celebrities such as Venus Williams, Michelle Kwan, L.A. Dodgers manager Joe Torre, WSF Founder Billie Jean King, WSF President Laila Ali and members of the 2011 U.S. Women’s National Soccer team.

Abby Wambach, a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team, received the Sportswoman of the Year award due to her exceptional performance and leadership during this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. During the World Cup Wambach led the U.S. team with four goals, bringing her total number of World Cup goals to 13. She now stands at number three on the list of all-time scoring with the Women’s World Cup.

Each year, the Women’s Sports Foundation recognizes an individual sport athlete and team sport athlete with outstanding performances in the previous calendar year. A Women’s Sports Foundation’s Awards Committee and the public select award winners through a 50-50 vote. The winners are the two athletes who receive the highest combined share of both the public and Award Committee vote. Past winners include Venus and Serena Williams, Nastia Liukin, Jessica Mendoza and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

USA vs. Japan

22 July, 08:13, by admin Tags: ,

The Japanese women’s national team won their first World Cup trophy when they defeated the United States in the FIFA Women’s World Cup final in Germany last Sunday. The game was tied 1-1 at the end of regular play and both teams scored during the overtime, pushing the score to 2-2. Many viewers and fans pulling for the Americans thought the team would be victorious after their successful penalty kicks during their game against Brazil on July 10. This time, they weren’t so lucky. Japan emerged victorious after Sunday’s shootout, making three of their penalty kicks against the American’s one.

The win was a huge moral victory for the people of Japan, who have struggled through such a difficult year after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that ravaged the country earlier this year. US striker Abby Wambach may have summed it up best, “I think Japan, a country which has gone through so much over the past few months, almost needed the victory more than we did. The thought that their success will bring happiness and hope to the Japanese people is a consolation.”

Victors aside, this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup has made history for women’s soccer. The game was ESPN’s most-viewed soccer match in history. Overall, it was the sixth most-viewed soccer telecast in the United States and second most-watched daytime program in cable history. The World Cup final also broke the record for most tweets per second, 7,196 at the end of the game.

USA Is In!

13 July, 15:07, by admin Tags: , ,

USA, who will compete in their first decider since winning on home soil in 1999, will face Japan for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup Champions.

The action-packed match against France was tied 1-1 until Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan scored twice in three minutes in the latter stages to end France’s dreams of a first Final appearance. Final score was 3-1 USA.

Both teams came out of the lockers fast in wet conditions at the Stadion in Borussia-Park. However it was USA who took the early advantage with Lauren Cheney deftly deflecting the ball home at the near post on nine minutes, following Heather O’Reilly’s powerful cross down the left side.

Bompastor played a searching cross into the penalty area which ended up going in the net, it looked like the other forward was going to head it in but she missed and it snuck in.

USA got the breakthrough with 11 minutes remaining as the physically imposing Wambach scored with a towering header at the back post from a perfect Cheney corner. The goal saw Wambach draw level with Michelle Akers on 12 goals as the leading USA goalscorer in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Three minutes later the Morgan concluded a swift counter-attack with a smart finish past the exposed Sapowicz.