Then, in the 94th minute, second-half replacement Wilkinson showed maturity beyond her years to control the ball from a long cross and hold off the attention of two defenders to score just seconds before the final whistle.
The aplomb and composure Wilkinson showed belied her age, seemingly making the fraction of a second she had to get the ball, control it and score seem like all the time in the world. The strike was even more remarkable given that she took a knock to the head and had to leave the field before returning to score and send the team and supporters into raptures.
Within days of arriving back in Whangarei after the game, Wilkinson was getting ready to play for her Auckland side, Glenfield Rovers, before returning to her psychology studies at AUT.
She has her eyes firmly set on making the New Zealand squad for the 2012 Olympics in London before deciding her future, but already the offers for her services are coming in from overseas, with Colorado College after her signature for a couple of years.
The World Cup exposed Wilkinson and her skills to a much wider audience, while that competition and the Olympics have scouts from the world's top football teams and universities looking for talent.
Wilkinson would like to get a soccer scholarship to a top United States university and is awaiting more offers before making up her mind.
Professional women's football is a big deal in the US and Europe and Wilkinson's dream is to make it to that level like her footballing heroes, American record goal scorer Abby Wombach and Brazilian striker Marta, who both played big roles for their teams at the World Cup.
"That would be the dream for me - preferably getting picked up by a top US university or a professional team - but after the Olympics, really.
"I've got a lot of work to do if I want to make the team."
Despite the wonder goal, and accolades that came with it, Wilkinson says her highly competitive streak won't let her relax or take things for granted.
"It's been a pretty amazing year for me. New Zealand Football have been great supporters of our women's team and football is really starting to get the coverage it deserves in New Zealand thanks to the men's national team's efforts at the World Cup in South Africa, the Wellington Phoenix and our efforts," she says.
"I'm not really surprised, though, as if you Google women's football you will see just how big it is in the rest of the world.
"We've still a way to go for it to be as big as elsewhere, but it will."
And Wilkinson would like nothing better than young Kiwi women of the future to have posters of her on their walls to look up to as a mentor.
She said that 10 years hence she would be honoured to be seen as a role model for aspiring young footballers as that would mean she had achieved some of her own goals.
She grew up supporting English giants Manchester United, but says these days she just enjoys watching good football, regardless of who is playing.
Wilkinson knows the gulf in resources can make a big difference to a team's chances of success and the situation was graphically illustrated at the World Cup.
"England had something like 30 support staff at the tournament with them - that was more staff than players - and so many other resources that we didn't," she says.
"If we had as many resources as those other countries I know we would be far more competitive, but we do a pretty good job given that we're not as well funded as them."
Wilkinson said that having dad Simon, mum Karen, and brothers Sam and Tom watching her at the World Cup was amazing and the family will never forget her wonder goal and being there to share the experience with her.
"Having them all there was the icing on the cake for me really."
Though Wilkinson now knows she has what it takes, her dad always knew she could make it, since he first started coaching her in Kamo when she was a child.
"It was great to see that composure in front of the goal," Mr Wilkinson said.
"It will help her realise that she can do it.
"It was a great moment for Hannah but a really proud moment for us, too."
