LYON, France -- The reactions around her said so much. Alyssa Naeher's lack of one said even more.

In the 84th minute of a World Cup semifinal, Naeher dove to her right and saved a penalty kick off the foot of England's Steph Houghton without allowing a rebound.

One England player held her hands on her head in disbelief. Another squeezed the bridge of her nose. Houghton sought stoicism but couldn't suppress a wince.

On the other side of the scale, Americans Alex Morgan and Kelley O'Hara were the first of a swarm of teammates to reach Naeher at full sprint. World Cup winners themselves four years ago, Morgan and O'Hara engulfed her in grateful congratulations as the clock ticked on. Naeher had just preserved a 2-1 lead for the United States.

On Tuesday against England, Alyssa Naeher became the first U.S. goalkeeper to save a penalty at the Women's World Cup (non-shootout). Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Without so much as a grin, barely even making eye contact, the goalkeeper pushed them back. She motioned for them to get back to the game so she could restart play without risking further sanction from the referee. Not long after, the time ran out and the U.S. was headed back to the final.

"From the beginning, my teammates have always had my back," Naeher said afterward. "We always play for each other. They've always had mine, I've always had theirs."

Everyone around her emoting. Everyone around her opining. Naeher just getting on with it.

Getting on with it is what she has done for three years since taking over from Hope Solo as the No. 1 goalkeeper on the world's top-ranked team. Three years that nonetheless couldn't answer if she would keep doing it when the one moment on Tuesday arrived. The one moment that might possibly convince people to stop talking about who Naeher isn't and understand who she is.

"She has a particular person that she's following that had so much attention on her," teammate Megan Rapinoe said after the win. "I feel like she hasn't really had moments like these to come into herself. She's an incredible goalkeeper. She's so steady for us back there. For her to have this moment, for her personally, it's just so special."

Naeher, of course, didn't ask to be anyone's successor. She just plays a position as brutally competitive as any in sports. We may not call U.S. forward Christen Press a starter, but she's still going to play regular minutes as a substitute and start from time to time, as she did to great effect against England. A goalkeeper doesn't get the luxury. Barring complete disaster or the kind of injury that forced England to change starters Tuesday, goalkeeper is the airplane bathroom of positions. Trying to accommodate more than one person serves no one well.