It wasn’t the most sensational goal Giovanna Dionicio (West Hartford, Conn.) ever scored, but it will live up there with the most memorable in her soccer life.
Dionicio, a junior defender at Yale, netted her first career international goal on Feb. 19, while playing for the Dominican Republic Women's National Team in a 2023 World Cup qualifying match against the Cayman Islands. She helped the Dominican earn a 4-0 victory in that contest.
"It was kind of a funny goal," recalled Dionicio,. "It was off a corner kick and the ball was just bouncing around in the box and I just kind of bulldozed my way through people and just ran into the goal with it."
It was a well-deserved accomplishment for the former Hall High School (West Hartford, Conn.) and FSA FC star. She played the full match in the win over the Cayman Islands, and in a 9-0 World Cup qualifier victory over Grenada on Feb. 16. She called the entire experience "One of her best, by far."