Former BYU forward Ashley Hatch sported a United States jersey the last time she stepped onto the field at Rio Tinto Stadium. The fourth official held up her number and the section directly opposite her, filled with her BYU teammates, leapt up, screamed Hatch’s name and waved wildly.
“We all lost our minds,” Royals broadcaster and former BYU player Carla Haslam recalled. “... We were totally fan-girling our own teammate just because we were so excited for her.”
Hatch made her senior national team debut in an international friendly with Switzerland in front of more than 14,000 fans.