2026-03-09, 09:34 AM - Word count:
ACCRA, Ghana — Pundits are already calling it “the goal of the season.”
Some are going so far as to refer to it as a “shoo-in” for the Puskas.
Even noted curmudgeon Alexi Lalas admits the goal was “a decent strike, even if she made it harder than it needed to be.”
But how did Juliette Greer’s incredible self-volley goal against Adowa Accra on Matchday 11 come to pass? What exactly was going through Greer’s mind at the moment of the strike?
“I dunno,” Greer says, shrugging. “It just kinda happened. All instinct.”
To say the strike was unexpected for most if not all of the SSL sphere would be an understatement. Though certainly talented, Greer isn’t known for making such flashy plays; one of her high school coaches refers to her as raiu no hito, which through some very loose translation by this less-than-fluent writer roughly means “the human thunderstorm”. Still, for all the lack of subtlety and finesse that implies, there’s no denying that the midfielder’s bolt from the blue left just about everyone thunderstruck—including Greer herself.
“To be honest, I don’t know how I did it,” Greer says. “One moment I was trying to control the pass, the next the ball was in the net. I haven’t seen the replay, so I couldn’t tell you what happened in between.”
As this writer shows Greer the replay, her eyes light up as she watches herself deftly control a bouncing pass from teammate Anneong-Jiay Weaver with her right foot, tipping it slightly into the air before—in the same fluid motion—whipping her left foot around to connect with the ball in midair, lashing it past the Accra goalkeeper and into the top left corner of the goal. She bursts out in laughter as she sees the speed with which the ball rockets off her foot and over the line.
“That’s crazy,” she says, clearly pleased with herself. “You could give me a thousand more tries and I’d never hit that again. Insane!”
It’s plain from the replay that even in the moment Greer seemed to be stunned that she’d even taken the shot, let alone sent it screaming into the net. Even as her teammates surrounded her to congratulate her, Greer seemed confused, as if shocked the ball had gone in.
“Of course I was confused,” Greer says. “I’m right-footed, remember? I don’t usually shoot with my left foot because it’s not that strong. Maybe I oughta start doing that more often, though…”
Perhaps it’s this fact that makes Greer’s goal so special. It’s rare enough to score a goal this picturesque, but for it to come from a player with only one other goal so far this season—a player whose playstyle can best be described as “brute force and ignorance”—and off their weak foot to boot…all of this seems to combine to make a goal that is truly one of the most special from this entire Academy season. SSL organizations will have taken note: Greer may not be the flashiest player in the class, but she has plenty in her locker that we’ve yet to see.
But there’s really only one thing on Greer’s mind at the moment.
“I’d like to see Ryan van Eyndhoven score a goal like that,” she says, a huge grin on her face.
Some are going so far as to refer to it as a “shoo-in” for the Puskas.
Even noted curmudgeon Alexi Lalas admits the goal was “a decent strike, even if she made it harder than it needed to be.”
But how did Juliette Greer’s incredible self-volley goal against Adowa Accra on Matchday 11 come to pass? What exactly was going through Greer’s mind at the moment of the strike?
“I dunno,” Greer says, shrugging. “It just kinda happened. All instinct.”
To say the strike was unexpected for most if not all of the SSL sphere would be an understatement. Though certainly talented, Greer isn’t known for making such flashy plays; one of her high school coaches refers to her as raiu no hito, which through some very loose translation by this less-than-fluent writer roughly means “the human thunderstorm”. Still, for all the lack of subtlety and finesse that implies, there’s no denying that the midfielder’s bolt from the blue left just about everyone thunderstruck—including Greer herself.
“To be honest, I don’t know how I did it,” Greer says. “One moment I was trying to control the pass, the next the ball was in the net. I haven’t seen the replay, so I couldn’t tell you what happened in between.”
As this writer shows Greer the replay, her eyes light up as she watches herself deftly control a bouncing pass from teammate Anneong-Jiay Weaver with her right foot, tipping it slightly into the air before—in the same fluid motion—whipping her left foot around to connect with the ball in midair, lashing it past the Accra goalkeeper and into the top left corner of the goal. She bursts out in laughter as she sees the speed with which the ball rockets off her foot and over the line.
“That’s crazy,” she says, clearly pleased with herself. “You could give me a thousand more tries and I’d never hit that again. Insane!”
It’s plain from the replay that even in the moment Greer seemed to be stunned that she’d even taken the shot, let alone sent it screaming into the net. Even as her teammates surrounded her to congratulate her, Greer seemed confused, as if shocked the ball had gone in.
“Of course I was confused,” Greer says. “I’m right-footed, remember? I don’t usually shoot with my left foot because it’s not that strong. Maybe I oughta start doing that more often, though…”
Perhaps it’s this fact that makes Greer’s goal so special. It’s rare enough to score a goal this picturesque, but for it to come from a player with only one other goal so far this season—a player whose playstyle can best be described as “brute force and ignorance”—and off their weak foot to boot…all of this seems to combine to make a goal that is truly one of the most special from this entire Academy season. SSL organizations will have taken note: Greer may not be the flashiest player in the class, but she has plenty in her locker that we’ve yet to see.
But there’s really only one thing on Greer’s mind at the moment.
“I’d like to see Ryan van Eyndhoven score a goal like that,” she says, a huge grin on her face.
![[Image: f3PLeZn.png]](https://i.imgur.com/f3PLeZn.png)
