Exactly one year ago, on Aug. 6, 2023, the U.S. women's national team was eliminated from the World Cup in the round of 16 following a dramatic penalty shootout against Sweden . Players were heartbroken and in tears; most were at a loss for words.
At that moment, no one could have predicted what would happen precisely 365 days later.
On Tuesday, the USWNT beat Germany 1-0 on a magical goal by Sophia Smith in extra time of the Paris Olympics semifinal, and will now play in the gold medal match on Saturday in Paris. They'll face Brazil in the program's first Olympic final since winning gold at the 2012 London Games.
The Americans have no doubt exceeded expectations over the course of this tournament under new coach Emma Hayes. The squad has been ruthless and resilient, similar to previous winning U.S. teams. There has been a belief within the group that no matter what, someone will step up and make the necessary play to win. This time it was Smith, who fought through fatigue and tired legs to slip the ball into the back of the net and put the USWNT on top.
This team has talked so much about how much it's grown since last summer after its disastrous World Cup, and the proof is on the pitch.
Here are takeaways from the match:
Play of the game: Part 1
In the 95th minute, Naomi Girma collected the ball in the defensive half of the field and found Sam Coffey who was calling for it centrally. Coffey, who was suspended for the quarterfinal after earning two yellow cards, turned and found an open Mallory Swanson checking to her near the top of the box. Swanson took one touch before playing Smith, who hammered her shot past goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger for an elite finish.
Smith fell to the turf – partly due to excitement, partly due to exhaustion — and her teammates celebrated with a dogpile on top of her.
"Honestly, I don't remember anything that just happened the past 100 and however many minutes," Smith told the broadcast after the game.
Smith, whose 24th birthday happens to be on Saturday, has now directly been involved in five of the USWNT's 11 goals so far in these Olympics.
Play of the game: Part 2
Just as important as Smith's goal was the massive save Alyssa Naeher made in the final moments of extra time when she literally got her cleat on the end of Laura Freigang's header from close range.
Key stat
The lethal forward trio of Smith, Swanson and Trinity Rodman have combined to score nine of the 11 total U.S. goals, and have contributed to 10 of the 11.
Each member of what has been officially deemed "The Trident" has scored three goals.
What's next for the USWNT?
The U.S. is going for gold.
The squad will play Brazil in the gold medal match on Saturday, marking its first Olympic final since 2012.
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman .
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