If you watch enough soccer, every so often fans are treated to a brace.
No, we're not talking about the medical device used to stabilize and protect injured body parts. We're talking about brace, the soccer term, which carries an entirely different meaning.
When you're talking about the elite attacking talent in the game, braces are definitely a more common occurrence.
Whenever there are multiple goals scored, there is always the chance a brace is recorded in the match. But what exactly is it?
The Sporting News explains what a brace is in soccer. and where the term came from.
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What is a brace in soccer?
A brace in soccer is when a player scores two goals in the same match.
It doesn't matter when the goals are scored — either in the same half or one in each — nor does it matter if the goals aren't scored consecutively. As long as the player scores two before the full-time whistle, then it is considered a brace.
Look to the post-group stage portion of the 2019 Women's World Cup, for example. Megan Rapinoe scored a brace — or, two goals — in each of the USWNT's wins over Spain (Round of 16) and France (quarterfinals). Team USA won both games by a margin of 2-1.
Why is it called a brace?
The word "brace" is rooted in both the Old English and Anglo-French languages.
In Old English, "brace" means a "pair" of something that was either killed or shot down. In the Anglo-French language, the phrase means a "pair of arms" so, similarly to Old English, the meaning of "brace" is derived from there being two things.
This is why it is used to describe two goals being scored. The term is used most frequently by British commentators.
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Other scoring terminology in soccer
The term "brace" precedes a hat trick, which is when one player scores three goals in one game.
"Hat trick" and "brace" are two of the more commonly used phrases in the sport when it comes to scoring, potentially because scoring three goals is already a tremendous feat.
If a player scores four goals, it is not called a "double brace." Instead, it is referred to as a "haul."
A five-goal performance is unofficially dubbed a "glut," but can also be called a haul as well.