Posted on January 22, 2012
By Michael Lewis
TropiGol.com Editor
VANCOUVER — For most soccer players, scoring goal certainly is a special occasion.
For Costa Rican striker Wendy Acosta, its heaven sent or better put, sent to heaven.
Every time Acosta scores, she points to the sky, reminding everyone on her team and in the stadium that she is dedicating another goal to her late father, Olman Acosta.
Acosta, the man who inspired Wendy to become a soccer player, passed away suddenly from a heart ailment last year.
On Saturday night, Acosta had an opportunity to point to the heavens, not once, but sonce as the Tica defeated Haiti, 2-0, in a CONCACAF Olympic women’s soccer match at BC Place.
“This tournament is very special for me,” Acosta said through a translator. “It’s been a tough tournament because of injuries and the death in my family. That’s why it’s very special for me.
“I always point to the sky and heaven whenever I score goal.”
Acosta obviously had a special bond with her father, who introduced her to the sport years ago. When asked why she loves the sport, Acosta replied, “Because my dad played.”
In a tournament that includes lethal goal-scorers such as Christine Sinclair of Canada, Abby Wambach of the United States and Maribel Dominguez of Mexico, it certainly is easy to get lost in the shuffle.
But the 22-year-old Acosta is making her mark by finding the back of the net. She has scored three times in two games in thsi country and find herself just at the cusp of her senior international career as an impact player. And she ertainly has turned heads — by using her head in several ways, whether it a header or her vision of the game.
“She’s clever,” Costa Rica coach Karla Aleman said.
Acosta’s best qualities include, Aleman said, her ability to use both feed and to score with her head on important ocassions, such as the Pan American Games and the Olympic qualifying tournament.
“She’s a terrific player,” Aleman said. “She can play a lot of roles. She can play in the attack and she can play in defense as well.”
On Saturday night, the Haitians would have loved to have seen Acosta performing on the backline instead of making life miserable for their defense.
The Ticas clinched a semifinal spot with their victory and Canada defeating Cuba in the second game of the doubleheader. Acosta likes the Central Americans’ chances of reaching London for the Summer Games. If they took book a spot, it would be their first time.
“We definitely have a chance,” she said. “If we fix some things, we have a chance.
“This is special because this time we feel it’s real. Our chance.”
Photo: Wendy Acosta has three goals in two games for Costa Rica. Photo by Michael Lewis
Categories: Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Costa Rica, Cuba, Haiti, North America, Olympic Qualifying, Women
Tags: CONCACAF women's Olympic qualifying tournament, Karla Aleman, Wendy Acosta
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