 After defeating Germany in overtime during the semi @-@ final , the U.S. faced Brazil for a second time in the Olympic final . Wambach 's 10 @-@ yard header in the 112th minute off a corner kick from Kristine Lilly gave the U.S. a 2 – 1 victory and the gold medal win . Her last @-@ minute goal was hailed as one of the five biggest goals in U.S. women 's national team history by ESPN in 2011 . Wambach finished the tournament with four goals and one assist . Her four goals set a new record for goals scored by a single U.S. player at an Olympic Tournament . The Olympic win also marked the start of significant changes for the national team as it was the final competitive international match for veteran players Mia Hamm , Joy Fawcett and Julie Foudy , who had played with the team since the first Women 's World Cup in 1991 . On the significance of the win , Wambach said , " It 's the least we can do for the women who have meant so much to us . " At the end of 2004 , Wambach had scored international 31 goals and 13 assists in 30 matches for the national team . She finished fourth in voting for the FIFA Women 's World Player of the Year . 
