Chiefs Defeated Abby Wambach Too

Christie Welsh had seen it before. 

As Abby Wambach and the rest of the U.S. National team walked off the soccer field in stunning defeat Sunday, Welsh could relate.

The former standout watched the Women’s World Cup final during a lull at a soccer camp at the West Virginia University, but it was a finale rife with déjà vu.

Wambach, the hero of the World Cup run and one of the most accomplished players in American soccer history, suffered tough defeats before. But this one was reminiscent of the 1997 state Class A championship game.

That’s when Massapequa shook off a 3-0 deficit with 19 minutes to go and rallied for a 4-3 overtime win over Wambach and Rochester-Mercy. Welsh was the architect of that miraculous comeback.

“Abby liked to joke that losing that state championship game was the one thing she wasn’t able to accomplish,” said Welsh, who was a teammate of Wambach’s with WPS' Washington Freedom and Team USA.

Wambach was a senior All-American and one of the nation’s leading scorers. She poured in two goals against Massapequa. Mercy seemed well on its way to a state title.

But in the cold and snow at Hornell in Western New York, the Chiefs did not give up. And then Welsh, a junior coming off a knee injury, exploded for two goals and an assist in the closing minutes, highlighted by the game-winner in OT.

“The thing you learn in the game of soccer is that things can change drastically,” said Welsh, who at 30, retired from pro soccer in January. “I do think back to that state championship game. I bring it up when I coach because the game is never over.”

Welsh, of Germantown, Md., had ample time to dissect the game with Wambach through the years. It is one of the most memorable finishes in Long Island sports history.

After Sunday's loss to Japan – a team that rallied twice and needed penalty kicks to beat the U.S. for the first time ever – no doubt Wambach can close the book on that high school collapse. With a world-wide audience looking on, Wambach has a new measure for agony.

But that 1997 upset will live on in Massapequa. It's unforgettable.