Angel City FC’s Madison Hammond Avoids Injury After Scary Collision with Teammate

The sequence took place early in Saturday’s NWSL Challenge Cup match against the San Diego Wave.

A scary collision between teammates temporarily halted a NWSL Challenge Cup match on Saturday.  

In the 13th minute of a meeting against the San Diego Wave, Angel City FC defender Madison Hammond took an unintentional shot from teammate goalkeeper DiDi Haračić as the two went after a ball in mid-air. Both players laid on the pitch in noticeable discomfort for a few moments as teammates and medical personnel rushed to their aid. 

The sequence, shared on Twitter by user CJ Fogler, appears to show Hammond taking the worst of the collision, with her head and neck violently thrusting backwards as she came crashing to the ground.

Rough collision for Hammond pic.twitter.com/tLBPMMSv3C

— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) April 2, 2022

Haračić rose to her feet and walked back to her post moments later, but Angel City’s medical staff spent a little extra time checking on Hammond. After briefly exiting the pitch following a quick evaluation, a fired-up Hammond returned to the match less than 30 seconds later.

Both players would end up finishing the eventual 4-2 loss to San Diego, who were led by veteran striker and USWNT star Alex Morgan’s two goals. Angel City FC will continue their Challenge Cup run in a match against OL Reign on April 17.