St. John’s Soccer: Rachel Daly wins European Championship

St. John's soccer standout Rachel Daly (Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)
St. John's soccer standout Rachel Daly (Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)

Former St. John’s soccer star Rachel Daly and England win the 2022 European Championships

On Sunday, former St. John’s soccer star Rachel Daly was part of a historic win for the England Women’s Soccer program as they defeated Germany to win the program’s first-ever European Championship.

The win was also England’s first major trophy win, on either the men’s or women’s side, in 56 years.

The victory almost was nearly to the day when the men’s team took down West Germany to win the World Cup on July 30th, 1966.

To put a cherry on top of a historic day for English soccer, the win came in front of a host crowd at Wembley Stadium in London.

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Attendance was estimated at over 90,000 making it the largest crowd for any European Championship game in history, men’s or women’s.

England opened the scoring in the 62nd minute as a perfectly placed long ball over the top found Ella Toone who chipped the ball over Germany’s Merle Frohms to give the English the lead.

The Germans would answer back in the 79th minute through Lina Magull with a near-post strike, eventually sending the game into extra time.

Then, in the 112th-minute substitute, Chloe Kelly etched her name into the history books by tapping the ball in from close range amidst a scramble in the six-yard box to give England the 2-1 win.

St. John’s soccer star continues to build impressive career

Rachel Daly was part of England’s starting 11, as she has been for most of the Euros at the left-back position, playing 88 minutes after being taken off for Alex Greenwood in the eventual win.

Daly, who was a star in Queens from 2013-15 scoring a St. John’s program record of 50 goals and 111 points, has now clinched a major trophy on the international level building upon her already impressive resume at the club level.