Catholic teen helps U.S. women's soccer team win Olympic gold medal

Published: 2004-08-27

METUCHEN, N.J. (CNS) -- Heather O'Reilly went to the Olympics as a reserve on the U.S. women's soccer team, the face of the future. Now she has earned Olympic gold -- a medal the team may have missed if not for her game-winning goal in the semifinals. The 19-year-old O'Reilly, a parishioner of St. Bartholomew Parish in East Brunswick, propelled the team to its Aug. 26 gold medal showdown with Brazil by scoring the go-ahead goal nine minutes into a 30-minute overtime period. The shot led the U.S. team to a 2-1 upset of World Cup champion Germany in the women's soccer Olympic semifinals Aug. 23. O'Reilly, a graduate of St. Bartholomew School and a former altar server at the parish, is the lone teenager on a U.S. roster full of veterans, many of whom -- including Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly -- are making their final appearance in international competition. O'Reilly is beginning her sophomore year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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