Kia McNeill facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kia Janeen McNeill | ||
| Date of birth | May 15, 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Avon, Connecticut, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2005 | New England Mutiny | ||
| 2007 | Bay State Select | ||
| 2008 | Kristianstads DFF | ||
| 2009 | Saint Louis Athletica | 19 | (0) |
| 2010 | Atlanta Beat | 19 | (0) |
| 2011 | Philadelphia Independence | 17 | (1) |
| 2012 | Rossiyanka | 1 | (0) |
| 2013 | Boston Breakers | 21 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| United States U-19 | |||
| United States U-23 | |||
| Teams managed | |||
| 2016– | Brown Bears | ||
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Kia Janeen McNeill (born May 15, 1986) is an American former professional soccer player. She played as a defender. Her last team was the Boston Breakers in the NWSL. She also played for other teams like Saint Louis Athletica and Atlanta Beat. Kia was also part of the United States U-23 women's national soccer team.
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Early Life and High School Soccer
Kia McNeill grew up in Avon, Connecticut. She went to Avon High School. While there, she helped her high school soccer team win three state championships in a row. They also had three seasons without losing any games.
In 2003, Kia was named the best player in Connecticut. She was also chosen as an All-American high school player twice. Besides soccer, she played basketball and ran track. In 2010, Kia was honored by joining the Connecticut Girls Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame.
College Soccer at Boston College
Kia played soccer for Boston College for four years. She started every game and played in 86 games in a row. For her first three years, she played as a forward, scoring goals. In her senior year, she changed to play as a defender.
As a team captain, Kia was a very important part of the team's strong defense. She finished her college career as one of the top scorers at Boston College. She scored 24 goals and made 13 assists in her 86 games. She was named the Big East Rookie of the Year. She also earned a spot on the All-Big East First Team.
Professional Soccer Career
Playing in Sweden
Right after graduating from Boston College, Kia McNeill went to Sweden. She started her professional soccer career there. She joined the team Kristianstads DFF in the Damallsvenskan league.
Playing in the WPS League
Saint Louis Athletica
In 2009, Kia was picked ninth overall in the 2009 WPS Draft by Saint Louis Athletica. During the 2009 WPS season, she played in 19 games. She started 17 of those games. Kia helped the Saint Louis defense. Their defense allowed the second fewest goals in the WPS league.
Atlanta Beat
In 2010, Kia McNeill was traded to the Atlanta Beat. She started all 19 games for the team that year. She played a total of 1624 minutes on the field.
Philadelphia Independence
For the 2011 WPS season, Kia played for a new team, the Philadelphia Independence. She started all 17 games she played. She also scored one goal for the team.
WFC Rossiyanka
After the WPS league stopped playing in early 2012, Kia played a short time for WFC Rossiyanka. This team was in Russia. She played in one game, starting and playing the whole game.
Boston Breakers
In February 2013, Kia McNeill signed with the Boston Breakers. This was for the first season of the National Women's Soccer League. She started 21 of the 22 regular-season games for the Breakers in 2013. Kia later announced that she would not play in the 2014 season. She wanted to focus on her school and coaching work.
International Soccer
Kia McNeill played in two games for the US U-23 Women's National Team. These games were held in La Manga, Spain. Before that, she was part of the U-19 Women's national team. She scored four goals for the U-19 team during a World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Canada.
