Abby Wambach sprinted off to kiss her wife in a gesture that made headlines alongside the U.S. women’s 5-2 victory over Japan Sunday night in the team’s first World Cup title since 1999.
Wambach, widely known as one of women's soccer's greatest players, arrived on the field as a sub in the 79th minute of the match as the sold-out
crowd chanted her name, according to the Daily Mail. The exciting victory finally clinched the elusive World Cup title that the two-time Olympic Gold medalist and 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year so dearly craved.
Often called the “soul” of the U.S. women’s team, Wambach has scored more international goals than any man or woman in
soccer history at 183, according to CNN. This memorable win proved to be even more special for her because it marked the last international soccer match of her career, as well.
Wambach’s now-famous kiss with her wife, Sarah Huffman, comes in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that legalized gay marriage in all 50 states on June 26. Although their 2013 marriage in Hawaii did not garner any huge public announcement or endorsement for gay marriage, Wambach said that she wanted it that way.
“I never felt like I had to have this huge party for myself about my sexuality,”
Wambach said, according to The New York Times. “To make a party for something that I think of as normal, for me, that just didn’t seem authentic. I wanted it to be as normal as possible.”
Wambach also stated that her marriage provided a shift in her focus on her professional career.
“I’ll be honest. After I got married, I definitely had a shift in emotional devotion. Forever, it was just soccer — passion, life, love. Then I got married, and I had to transfer some of my energy,” Wambach told The Times. “I want to be my best for my country, but I also made a really big promise and choice to be the best in my marriage. That has not always been the easiest thing to manage.”
Although the U.S. is still reeling over the SCOTUS ruling, supportive fans immediately hopped onto social media following the pair’s kiss using the hashtag #lovewins: