Diana Matheson facts for kids
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Diana Matheson in 2024
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Diana Beverly Matheson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | April 6, 1984 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.53 m (5 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oakville SC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Princeton Tigers | 57 | (26) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Toronto Inferno | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Ottawa Fury | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Team Strømmen | 32 | (11) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2016 | Washington Spirit | 67 | (23) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Seattle Reign | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Utah Royals | 21 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Kansas City | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2020 | Canada | 206 | (19) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 July 2020 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 March 2020 |
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Diana Beverly Matheson (born April 6, 1984) is a Canadian former professional soccer player. She played as a midfielder for the Canadian national team from 2003 to 2020. She also played for several professional women's teams.
Diana is famous for scoring the winning goal for Canada. This goal helped Canada win a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics against France. She also won another bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. With the national team, she earned a gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games. Matheson was inducted into the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame in 2025.
Contents
Early Life and Youth Soccer
Diana Matheson was born in Mississauga, Ontario. She went to White Oaks Secondary School in Oakville, Ontario. There, she received awards for both sports and schoolwork.
From 1999 to 2002, she played for the Ontario provincial team. Her team won the national championship in 2001. She was also the captain of the team in 2002. Playing for the Oakville SC women's team, Matheson won the Ontario Cup in 2002. She also helped her club become national women's champions.
College Soccer at Princeton University
From 2004 to 2007, Diana studied economics at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. She was a very successful student-athlete.
In 2007, she was named the Ivy League Women's Soccer Player of the Year. In 2008, Princeton also named her their Women's Athlete of the Year. As a first-year student in 2004, she was chosen for the All-Ivy team. She also earned the Ivy League Rookie of the Year award. She was recognized as one of the best new players in college soccer.
During her time at Princeton, she often missed games to play with the Canadian national team. Despite this, she was a top player for her college team. She led the team in goals and assists in her junior year. As a senior, she broke Princeton's records for assists in a single game and in her career.
Professional Club Career
Playing for Team Strømmen
In 2008, Diana Matheson joined Team Strømmen in Oslo, Norway. She played the second half of the season with them. Her team finished second in the Toppserien league and in the annual Cup competition. She played for the club again in 2009 and for the first half of 2010.
Time with Washington Spirit
In 2013, Matheson joined the Washington Spirit. This team was part of the new National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played her first game for the Spirit on April 15, 2013. Her first goal for the team was a penalty kick on April 20, 2013. At the end of 2013, she was chosen as a top midfielder for the NWSL Best XI First Team.
In 2014, Matheson helped the Spirit reach the playoffs for the first time. She scored eight goals and had six assists that season. In 2015, she joined the team late due to an injury and playing in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Still, she scored three goals and had two assists in just nine games.
In 2016, she scored four goals, which was the second-highest on the team. Matheson holds the Spirit's all-time records for most goals (23) and most assists (12). In 2016, the Washington Spirit played in the NWSL Championship game. The game went to penalty kicks, and the Spirit lost.
In January 2017, Matheson was traded to the Seattle Reign.
Injuries and Trades
While training with the Canadian National team in February 2017, Matheson tore her ACL. This injury meant she missed the entire 2017 season. She never played a game for Seattle Reign.
At the 2018 NWSL College Draft, she was traded again. This time, she went to the Utah Royals.
Playing for Utah Royals
Matheson played in 21 games for Utah in 2018, scoring two goals. She was set to play for Utah again in the 2019 season. However, she suffered a foot injury while with the Canadian National team. This injury needed surgery, causing her to miss the 2019 season.
International Career with Canada
Diana Matheson was a regular player for the Canadian national team. She was known for her speed and skill, even though she is not very tall. She made her national team debut in March 2003.
She played in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup. Canada did not make it past the group stage. In 2008, Matheson was part of her first Olympic Team. Canada was eliminated in the quarterfinals by the United States.
Matheson played in her second World Cup in 2011. Canada again did not advance from the group stage. At the 2011 Pan American Games, Matheson helped Canada win the gold medal. They beat Brazil in a penalty shootout. Matheson scored the first penalty for Canada.
In 2012, Matheson was named to Canada's Olympic team again. She played every minute of all six matches. In the bronze medal match against France, Matheson scored the winning goal in the 92nd minute. This goal secured Canada's first-ever medal in women's soccer at the Olympic Games.
In October 2014, Matheson tore her ACL in a friendly match. This injury made it uncertain if she could play in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, which was held in Canada. Matheson recovered in time to join Canada's team. She played in one game, a quarterfinal loss to England.
Matheson was part of her third Olympic team in 2016. Canada won the bronze medal for the second Olympics in a row. On October 14, 2018, Matheson played her 200th game for Canada.
In May 2019, Canada Soccer announced that Matheson would miss the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. This was due to a foot injury that needed surgery. In July 2021, Diana Matheson announced her retirement from soccer.
Life After Playing Soccer
In December 2022, Diana Matheson and her business partner Thomas Gilbert shared plans to start a professional women's soccer league in Canada. Their organization, Project 8, aims to launch a league in 2025. This league will focus on being welcoming and building community. Matheson is the CEO of Project 8.
Personal Life
Diana Matheson is married to Anastasia Bucsis.
Honours and Awards
Canada
- Summer Olympic Games: Bronze Medal in 2012 (London) and 2016 (Rio de Janeiro)
- Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2012
- Canada Soccer Hall of Fame, 2025
See also
In Spanish: Diana Matheson para niños
- List of women's footballers with 100 or more caps
- List of Princeton University Olympians
- List of Olympic medalists in football
- List of players who have appeared in multiple FIFA Women's World Cups
