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Maya Hayes
Maya Hayes face.PNG
Hayes at the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
Personal information
Full name Maya Alexandria Hayes
Date of birth (1992-03-26) March 26, 1992 (age 33)
Place of birth New York City, U.S.
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Minnesota Golden Gophers (assistant)
Youth career
2000–2001 Montclair Blue
2002–2004 Montclair Starbursts
2005–2006 Match Fit PSV
2007–2009 Montclair Aristocats
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2013 Penn State Nittany Lions 89 (71)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2017 Sky Blue FC 74 (9)
International career
United States U-18
2010–2012 United States U-20 42 (16)
Managerial career
2018–2019 Auburn Tigers (GA)
2020– Minnesota Golden Gophers (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Maya Alexandria Hayes (born March 26, 1992) is an American soccer coach and former player. She is currently an assistant coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers women's soccer team.

Maya Hayes played as a forward for Sky Blue FC until 2017. She was part of the United States youth national team. Hayes helped her team win the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Japan.

Early Life and Background

Maya Hayes was born in New York City. Her parents are Irene Smith and Derek Hayes. She has four brothers and sisters. Maya grew up in West Orange, New Jersey. She went to Newark Academy, a private school in Livingston, New Jersey.

College Soccer Career

Maya Hayes played college soccer at Pennsylvania State University. She played for the Nittany Lions team from 2010 to 2013. In 2011, she scored 31 goals. She also earned 70 points, leading the country in both goals and points.

Maya set a new record for points in a single season for Penn State and the Big Ten Conference. By the end of her college career, she had scored 71 goals in 89 games. This was the third-highest number of goals in the program's history. In January 2020, she was recognized as one of the best players of the 2010s by TopDrawerSoccer.com.

Professional Club Play

In 2014, Sky Blue FC chose Maya Hayes in the first round of the 2014 NWSL College Draft. She was the sixth player picked overall. A few weeks later, she officially joined the team.

In 2018, Maya decided to take a break from playing in the National Women's Soccer League. She wanted to go to graduate school at Auburn University. She did not consider this a full retirement from soccer.

Playing for the United States Team

Maya Hayes played for the United States under-18 women's national soccer team. She also played for the United States team in the 2010 and 2012 FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup tournaments.

In the 2012 World Cup, on August 20, she scored three goals in one game (a hat-trick). This happened in a 4–0 win against Ghana. Three days later, she scored a goal to tie the game 1-1 against China. Even though the U.S. team lost to Germany in their last group game, they still moved on. The United States team went on to win the 2012 Japan FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup tournament.

See also

  • 2012 CONCACAF Under-20 Women's Championship squads
  • 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup squads
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