Kristine Lilly facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kristine Lilly

Lilly in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Kristine Marie Lilly Heavey
Birth name	Kristine Marie Lilly
Date of birth	(1971-07-22) July 22, 1971 (age 54)
Place of birth	New York City, U.S.
Height	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Position(s)	Forward, midfielder
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1989–1992	North Carolina Tar Heels
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1994	Tyresö FF
1995	Washington Warthogs (indoor)	6	(0)
1998	Delaware Genies	4	(5)
2001–2003	Boston Breakers	59	(14)
2005	KIF Örebro DFF	19	(8)
2009–2011	Boston Breakers	20	(3)
International career
1987–2010	United States	354	(130)
Medal record Women's soccer Representing  United States Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta Team Gold 2004 Athens Team Silver 2000 Sydney Team FIFA Women's World Cup Winner 1991 China Winner 1999 United States Bronze 1995 Sweden Bronze 2003 United States Bronze 2007 China
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Kristine Marie Lilly Heavey (born July 22, 1971) is a retired American professional soccer player who is a legend of the sport. She played for the U.S. Women's National Team for 23 years.

Lilly holds the world record for the most international games played by any soccer player, male or female. She played in 354 matches, called "caps," for the United States. Her final game was in November 2010. She also scored 130 goals for her country, which is the fourth-highest in the team's history.

Early Life and College

Kristine Lilly was born in New York City. She grew up in Wilton, Connecticut, where she attended Wilton High School. She was so talented that she joined the U.S. Women's National Team while she was still in high school.

University of North Carolina

From 1989 to 1992, Lilly played for the University of North Carolina's soccer team. The team was incredibly successful, winning the national championship every single year she was there.

In 1991, she won the Hermann Trophy, an award for the best college soccer player. The next year, she won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top female soccer player. In 1994, the university retired her #15 jersey to honor her amazing career there.

Playing for Pro Clubs

Lilly playing for the Boston Breakers in 2010.

Lilly's professional career took her to different teams and leagues. In 1995, she did something very unusual. She joined the Washington Warthogs, a team in an all-male professional indoor soccer league. She was the only woman in the league at the time.

Boston Breakers

In 2001, the first paid professional women's soccer league in the world, called the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), was formed. Lilly was a founding member and the captain of the Boston Breakers.

She was a star player for the Breakers. In her first season, she led the league with 11 assists. For all three years the league existed, she was named to the First Team All-WUSA, meaning she was one of the best players in the league. She was the only player to receive this honor every year.

After the WUSA ended in 2003, a new league called Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) was formed. In 2009, Lilly returned to play for a new version of the Boston Breakers.

An Amazing International Career

Lilly (left) with her famous teammate Mia Hamm in 1998.

Lilly's career with the U.S. National Team is one of the most impressive in sports history. She started playing for the team in 1987 as a high school student and didn't retire until 2010.

On May 21, 1998, she broke the world record for most games played by a woman. Less than a year later, she broke the men's record, too. Her final record of 354 games is a number that may never be beaten.

World Cups and Olympics

Lilly played in five different FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments (1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007). She helped the U.S. team win the championship twice, in 1991 and 1999.

One of her most famous moments came in the 1999 World Cup Final against China. The game was tied and went into extra time. A Chinese player kicked the ball past the American goalkeeper, and it was heading into the net. But Lilly, standing on the goal line, headed the ball away and saved the game. The U.S. went on to win in a penalty shootout, and Lilly scored one of the key goals.

She also played in three Olympic Games, winning two gold medals (1996, 2004) and one silver medal (2000).

Life After Playing

Lilly has worked as an assistant coach for the Boston Breakers. She also helps run a soccer camp for kids with her former teammates Mia Hamm and Tisha Venturini-Hoch.

She is married to David Heavey, and they have two daughters. The family lives in Medfield, Massachusetts. In 2015, Kristine Lilly was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame for her incredible contributions to soccer.

Honors and Awards

See also

In Spanish: Kristine Lilly para niños

• List of women's association football players with 100 or more international goals
• List of women's footballers with 100 or more caps
• List of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Olympians
• List of Olympic medalists in football
• List of 2004 Summer Olympics medal winners
• All-time Boston Breakers (WPS) roster