Dunn, USWNT prepare for gold medal matchup on Saturday :: WRALSportsFan.com
As the U.S. women’s national soccer team prepares for its final match on Saturday, UNC alumna Crystal Dunn aims to lead her team to gold.
It will be Dunn’s third appearance at the Olympics after helping the USWNT earn bronze at the 2020 Tokyo games. Dunn has 20 consecutive USWNT starts over the course of her 9-year career, which she attributes to being a durable player.
The veteran forward provided the assist for what ended up being Team USA’s only goal in a 1-0 quarterfinal win over Japan. In another 1-0 win, this time in the semifinal, Dunn was responsible for a crucial first half clear to hold Germany scoreless.
Crystal Dunn has been soaking in her Olympic experience, sharing it with husband Pierre Soubrier, who’s originally from France, and their 2-year-old son Marcel Jean.
Dunn made headlines by documenting her training journey through pregnancy, including dribbling drills while six months pregnant.
She said her family makes her play and train better.
“They just make you feel grounded in what you’re doing,” Dunn said. “And you have to have a balance. You can’t only care about off-field things, you can’t only care about on-field things. You have to find what that balance is and lean into what makes you a holistic person and a player.”
During her collegiate career at UNC, Dunn learned under the guidance of renowned women’s soccer coach Anson Dorrance. Dunn, a 2013 graduate, was the National Player of the Year and a national champion in 2012.
“My time at UNC really prepared me to be the best that I possibly could and for me to make that transition,” Dunn said. “Many of us truly believe that the program was set up for us to be challenged.”
Moving into the finals, Dunn is trying to live in the present and focus on what’s in her control.
“It’s a fine balance of knowing that it is a knockout round,” she said, “but at the same time knowing that you’re as prepared as possible to be able to put together a really good performance and hopefully get the job done.”
On Saturday, the USWNT will face off against Brazil — a nation is seeking its first gold medal in women’s soccer. For the U.S., this year’s gold medal would be the first since the 2012 Olympics and the first gold for every member of this year’s team.
Dunn hopes she can bring home a gold not only for herself and the team, but also to add to Team USA’s legacy.
“We have all that we need in order to walk away hopefully with a gold medal, but it’s not going to be easy by any means,” Dunn said. “We are not naive to the idea that every team has a really good chance of competing and doing really well.”
After losing in the round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Dunn and her teammates realize there’s an expectation to perform well this year.
Dunn said the team is using past games as a learning opportunity and chance to showcase its growth.
“We don’t apply any extra pressure on ourselves,” Dunn said. “The world already does that for us. We’re a close-knit group that really has bought into this process, and we have this opportunity to step into this tournament and stay connected, stay unified… and put out our best performance.”
Source: wralsportsfan.com