The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) kicked off their Women’s World Cup with a 3-0 win over Vietnam in Auckland, New Zealand, on Saturday 22 July. And one of many staff’s forwards took the second to recollect an absent pal.
After striker Sophia Smith had slammed dwelling her second objective of the sport, she put her fingers to her lips and made a zipping movement throughout her mouth in honour of former Stanford Cardinal teammate Katie Meyer, whose iconic celebration it was.
Meyer had gone viral after making exactly that gesture when the faculty aspect secured the 2019 NCAA College Cup with a penalty shootout win wherein she was instrumental however tragically died on 1 March 2022, aged simply 22, after taking her personal life.
“The last couple days are like a parent’s worst nightmare and you don’t wake up from it. So it’s just horrific,” her mom Gina Meyer advised NBC News within the rapid aftermath of that tragedy.
Originally from Burbank, California, Meyer was an completed goalkeeper who made 50 appearances for Stanford Cardinal on the school degree and captained the aspect, having beforehand impressed on the youth degree enjoying for Newbury Park Panthers, Eagles Soccer Club and Real So Cal between 2014 and 2018.
She had enrolled on the prestigious Stanford University in 2019 and was pursuing a level in worldwide relations with a minor in historical past, reportedly hoping to attend Stanford Law School after graduating.
Both Smith and USWNT defender Naomi Girma have been shut pals of Smith at college, performed alongside her for the Cardinal and the trio often featured in every others’ Instagram posts, with Smith writing movingly in a single from January 2020 of her pleasure at enjoying with Meyer: “I remember counting down the days until I would get to play with you.
“Thank you for fighting with me when things went wrong, and for celebrating with me when things went right. I love you so much and I’m so insanely proud we came out on top this year because of what it meant to both of us.”
Speaking after the Vietnam sport, Smith advised reporters: “That was for Katie. Nai and I talked about it before the game. We were like, ‘What can we do for Katie?’ It was pretty iconic what she did in the College Cup, and we just want to honour her in every way.”
Girma just lately revealed a private essay in The Players Tribune in honour of Meyer wherein she wrote: “There are friends, and then there are true friends. Katie Meyer was a true friend, in every sense of the word.”
Since Meyer’s passing, Smith and Girma have used their more and more elevated platform to boost consciousness of the significance of psychological well-being, partnering with Common Goal to create a psychological well being initiative in Meyer’s reminiscence.
“With a lot of players, us included, speaking out on mental health, we see this as an opportunity to shed light on a lot of things that are important to us,” Girma stated.
“That’s been something that’s been at the core of this team for so long and for us to come in now and carry on that legacy is something that’s really important to us.
“It’s something that’s really important to me and Soph.”
Girma has stated she additionally remembers Katie Meyer by carrying a wristband with the initials “KM” emblazoned in it each time she takes to the pitch, making certain her pal isn’t removed from her ideas, even mid-match.
Source: www.unbiased.co.uk
