Abby Dahlkemper marked her recent return after nearly a year out by scoring her first NWSL goal since 2016, as the San Diego Wave beat the Orlando Pride 2-1 on Friday.
Dahlkemper suffered a back injury last September and later underwent surgery. After signing on with the Wave prior to their 2022 expansion campaign, the center back ended up making just eight NWSL appearances.
The 30-year-old would miss nearly a year of action before starting in a Challenge Cup match against Angel City FC on August 5.
The longtime U.S. national team defender fully announced her return two games later against Orlando, latching onto an attempted clearance before slamming home to give her team an early lead.
ABBY DAHLKEMPER WHAT A GOAL! 😤
Her first @NWSL goal since 2016. 👀 pic.twitter.com/KnPUYKlptT
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) August 25, 2023
San Diego assistant coach Louis Hunt paid tribute to Dahlkemper after the game, saying she’s picked up right where she left off before the injury.
“She’s been incredible over the last few weeks or so since she was cleared to be in training,” Hunt said. “She’s been bright, she has been confident, you can see the quality oozing out of her.
“So for her to get that nice little bonus of a goal as well and helping us win is brilliant because her performance in the last two games, two 90-minute matches back-to-back, you would never have thought she’d been out for a year or so. So just showing her professionalism and showing her quality.”
Dahlkemper has earned 77 USWNT caps in her career, and was last called in for friendlies against Uzbekistan in April 2022. She started every game for the USWNT at the 2019 World Cup as the team won its second consecutive title.
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