Hamm Comes Back Home

And she wasn't going to let anything - not even a sprained knee - upset that record.

In her first time playing on Fetzer Field since Nov. 21, 1993 in the NCAA Championship game, Hamm's heroics during the WUSA matchup between the Washington Freedom and the Carolina Courage were reminiscent of her days at UNC.

"She's one of those players that no matter what the score is, what minute it is, she's going to give everything until the 90th minute, or however long it takes," said Freedom goalkeeper Siri Mullinix, also a UNC alumna. "That's what she did today."

After leaving the field with a sprained knee early in the first half, Hamm returned to the field only seven minutes later and in the 82nd minute assisted on the Freedom's first goal to tie the game.

Then, true to her usual form, Hamm scored the game-winner on a free kick in injury time. The goal was the first by an American in a professional game.

"She's a tremendous role model," said Tony DiCicco, WUSA's chief operations officer and former national team coach. "She willed that game to turn in Washington's behalf. You've got to respect that."

But just in case there was even one spectator that didn't understand what Hamm is about, she proved her worth yet again.

Hamm fell to the ground after a collision near midfield in the 15th minute. The first voice she heard as she rolled around in pain didn't belong to one of her Freedom teammates - it was the voice of former Tar Heel and U.S. national teammate Carla Overbeck of the Courage, telling Hamm to relax as helped her to her feet.

"We're both competitors; we're both going to go after it," Hamm said. "But what that told me right there is that she cares about me much more as a person than as a competitor. That's priceless."

The stadium was a little quieter for the eight minutes Hamm was on the sideline. The game continued, but many eyes were glued to the bench where Hamm sat with a trainer wrapping her knee.

"I was ready to sub her and put Krista Davey in," Freedom coach Jim Gabarra said. "She came off the field and was in a lot of pain, but she said 'I want to play, I want to play.'"

As many records as she set while donning a Carolina-blue jersey, Hamm was determined to make history for the WUSA. When a foul was called during injury time, Freedom defender Jennifer Grubb, who normally shares the duties of taking free kicks with Hamm, looked at her and said, "Good luck."

"There wasn't a conversation -- I was going to take that one," said Hamm, who snuck the shot in near the lower left post.

Being swarmed by teammates in white jerseys to celebrate victory on Fetzer Field was a feeling Hamm knew well. But celebrating as a professional? That's something Hamm said she couldn't even fathom during her years as a Tar Heel.

And although the field looked different, with additional seats and Carolina Courage logos splashed all over the stands, Hamm was glad to be home.

"It's amazing to see Fetzer dressed up like this," Hamm said. "It fills you with all different types of emotions. On the way here, we were telling the bus driver which way to go, which was the shortest way. We all feel like our time here was one of the most special times you could ever ask for."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.