Zoey Mahoney, a first-year defender for Drake’s women’s soccer team, made national sports headlines this past month when her flashy throw-in goal earned the No. 1 spot on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” Top 10 Plays.
The play occurred in the first five minutes of a game against the University of Northern Iowa Panthers. Mahoney threw the ball in by flipping forward as she released the ball, giving it enough momentum to reach the back goalpost. Normally, throw-in goals are outlawed in soccer, but due to a last-second tip by the UNI goalkeeper, the goal was legal.
“Once I threw it and kinda watched it go, something about it felt a little different,” Mahoney said. “Just watching it go in was crazy, the team’s reaction and everything.”
According to head coach Lindsey Horner, the goal was by no means a stroke of luck or happenstance.
“It’s something we train, just like a corner kick,” Horner said to the Des Moines Register. “It’s such a weapon.”
This goal would prove important in Drake’s push for a win against UNI, as the team would eventually pull away 2-1 and secure the game with a single goal lead.
Immediately following the game, the play began to circulate on social media, initially gaining traction with various NCAA social media accounts.
“Even before the game was over, it had already blown up on social media with the NCAA posting it on their Twitter,” Mahoney said. “One of our injured players had shown me on her phone around halftime that the NCAA had already posted it and the views it was already getting.”
The circulation led to the play being featured in “SportsCenter’s” Top 10 Plays of that week, with Mahoney’s goal being ranked No. 1. This ranking led to media buzz in the Des Moines area, with articles being written about the play at outlets such as the Des Moines Register.
This media buzz led to a unique opportunity for Mahoney: an name, image and likeness deal with Raygun. The popular Des-Moines based printing, design and clothing company offered a partnership with Mahoney to create custom t-shirts that would be sold at their Des Moines location. These custom t-shirts featured the phrases “Mahoney Magic” and “Flippin’ Awesome” coupled with a graphic of Mahoney throwing in the ball.
“They [direct messaged] me on Instagram with all the details about what we could do and the different phrases we could put on the shirt,” Mahoney said. “We got it in the Raygun store, and they worked on getting it into the Bulldog Shop here on campus.”
With the shirt now circulating the internet and the Des Moines area retail scene, Mahoney’s viral goal is only becoming more popular and widespread.
