The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Soccer’s Grosso leads the “Heartbeat of Austin” prior to Austin FC match
09.15.2021 | Soccer
The 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist participated in the ceremony prior to Wednesday’s home match vs. LAFC
AUSTIN, Texas – On Wednesday night at Q2 Stadium, Texas senior midfielder and Canadian 2020 Olympic women's soccer gold medalist Julia Grosso was welcomed as a special guest to bang the drum while leading the "Heartbeat of Austin" prior to Austin FC's match against LAFC.
The ceremony made national headlines back on June 19 after Oscar-winning actor, Austin FC minority owner and University of Texas "Minister of Culture" Matthew McConaughey utilized a djembe on the field while leading the crowd in chants of "Verde! Listos!" before the team's inaugural MLS home opener against San Jose.
Grosso earned the invitation after helping the Canadian Women's Senior National Team to the squad's first gold medal back in August at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. During that historic run, the Vancouver, British Columbia, native earned five caps against Great Britain, Chile, Brazil, the United States and Sweden.
During the Olympic final against Sweden, Grosso stepped up to the penalty spot in the sixth round of the decisive gold medal shootout and calmly drilled her penalty off the arm of diving goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl and into the roof of the net to complete a thrilling, 1-1 (3-2 on PK's) triumph.
As a senior for the Longhorns, Grosso has registered 18 career goals and 12 career assists for 48 total points in 49 career matches. During the 2021 campaign, she has tallied three total goals, including match-winners to beat New Mexico State and UTRGV.
