Three-Time U.S. Soccer Olympian Continues to Expand Her Goals

About this sponsorship: In honor of the 60th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s historic ascent of Mount Everest, Patch and Grape-Nuts are teaming up to highlight those who inspire people around them to climb their own mountains. 

Heather A. O’Reilly has been charging up the field like a thunder bolt for the U.S. national and Olympic soccer teams since she was a teenager, as a vital part of the efforts that won three Olympic Gold medals and a long list of other accolades. But O’Reilly had to overcome not just her youth, but a broken fibula suffered the year before she made her first Olympic team as a midfielder, in 2004.

At 19, she was the youngest player on the roster, but she scored one of the most dramatic goals in U.S. history. In the semifinal against Germany, O’Reilly took a pass from her childhood idol, Mia Hamm, and drilled a winning shot in sudden death overtime. O’Reilly’s goal brought the U.S. team into the famous final, which ended with the five veterans who had become role models to a generation of young girls — Hamm, Julie Foudy, Brandi Chastain, Kristine Lilly and Joy Fawcett — retiring from their sport with Olympic gold medals around their necks.

O’Reilly continued her successful career, scoring a critical goal for the U.S. national team at the 2007 World Cup against North Korea in the last minutes of the game, which tied the game at 2–2 and saved the Americans from a opening-round loss. The U.S. finished with a bronze medal, and O'Reilly scored a goal during the 4–1 victory against Norway.

In 2007, O’Reilly was nominated as Sports Illustrated's 2007 Sportsman of the Year. She made major contributions to the gold-medal winning 2008 U.S. Olympic team and 2011 U.S. National World Cup team, scoring several goals in both matches.

At the 2012 Olympics in London, O’Reilly once again stepped up under pressure and made a crucial assist in the final minutes of the semifinal match against Canada, which helped lift the U.S. team into the gold medal match against Japan. O ’Reilly is currently a member of the United States women's national soccer team and also plays  playing for the Boston Breakers in National Women's Soccer League.

Patch caught up with the East Brunswick native to find out what has inspired her to rise to the challenge as an world class athlete for so many years.     

Patch: What’s the biggest challenge or goal you’ve taken on?  
Heather A. O’Reilly: When I was a young soccer player in New Jersey, I attended the Women’s World Cup in 1999 where Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain showed the world what women can do, and the power of sports to inspire.  I was one of those people that they inspired, I remember getting teary-eyed as the national anthem played and the players took the field.  From that moment, I knew I wanted to be just like them, and I committed myself to training hard. 

Patch: How did this inspire you to commit yourself that way?

HAO: I think that your heart pulls you sometimes. My heart pulled me to play soccer.  Through soccer, I have made my best friends. I have seen the world, and I have developed as an individual. 

Patch: Did you succeed in your goals, or how do you plan to succeed and what will you do then?

HAO: As a competitive athlete, I am never satisfied. It's my hunger to be better, to win, and to strive for more that has helped me get to the highest level of my profession.  However, at the same time, I find it important to appreciate the journey, and with three Olympic gold medals playing for my country, I can say that I am proud of what I have attained so far. Next step? Inspire the next generation.