Melissa Tancredi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Melissa Tancredi

Tancredi in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Melissa Palma Julie Tancredi
Date of birth	(1981-12-27) December 27, 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth	Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
	Burlington Sting
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2000–2004	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	82	(14)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004	Detroit Jaguars	10	(2)
2005–2006	Atlanta Silverbacks	15	(7)
2007	Jersey Sky Blue	2	(0)
2007	River Cities Futbol Club	0	(0)
2009	Saint Louis Athletica	14	(0)
2010	Vancouver Whitecaps	9	(5)
2011	Piteå IF	8	(2)
2012	Dalsjöfors GoIF	5	(2)
2014–2015	Chicago Red Stars	21	(5)
2016	KIF Örebro DFF	16	(8)
2018–2019	North Shore GSC Renegades		(5)
2019–2022	Fusion FC		(13)
Total		172	(31)
International career‡
2004–2017	Canada	125	(27)
Medal record Olympic Games Bronze 2012 London Team Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team Pan American Games Bronze 2007 Rio de Janeiro Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 7, 2016 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of November 23, 2019

Melissa Palma Julie Tancredi (born December 27, 1981) is a retired Canadian soccer player. She was a forward, which means she played at the front of the field to score goals. Melissa played for the Canada women's national soccer team and is famous for winning two bronze medals at the Summer Olympics. She helped Canada win bronze in 2012 by beating France, and again in 2016 by defeating Brazil. Her nickname is "Tanc".

Early Life and Soccer Start

Melissa Tancredi was born in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. Her parents are Peter and Ann-Marie Tancredi, and her father came from Italy. Melissa started playing soccer when she was just four years old.

She went to Cathedral High School in Hamilton, Ontario. There, she played soccer, volleyball, and ran track. In her final year, she was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for soccer and the top senior athlete.

Melissa also played for the under-19 provincial team and the Burlington Sting club. She helped the Burlington Sting win a Canadian title and the Ontario Cup. In 1999, she was named the MVP for the Burlington Sting.

College Soccer Career

From 2000 to 2004, Melissa attended the University of Notre Dame in the United States. She studied anthropology and pre-medicine. During her first year, she couldn't play soccer because of a knee injury.

In 2003, Melissa became a top player. She was named First Team All-American, which means she was one of the best college players in the country. She also won awards like Big East Defensive Player of the Year. She was even a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, a big award for college soccer players.

In 2004, Melissa got an extra year to play for Notre Dame. She was a team captain and helped her team win the NCAA National Championship. She continued to earn many awards, including First Team All-American and Big East Defensive Player of the Year for a second time.

Playing for Clubs

After college, Melissa played for several professional soccer clubs.

• In 2004, she played for the Detroit Jaguars in the W-League. She scored two goals and helped with two others in ten games.
• From 2005 to 2006, she played for the Atlanta Silverbacks Women in the W-League. She was even named to the 2005 W-League All-League team, meaning she was one of the best players in the league.
• In 2009, Melissa played for the Saint Louis Athletica in the Women's Professional Soccer league.
• In 2010, she joined the Vancouver Whitecaps in the W-League. She was the team's top scorer with six goals and two assists. Her team had a perfect record during the regular season.
• In 2011, Melissa played for Piteå IF in Sweden.
• In 2012, she played for another Swedish team, Dalsjöfors GoIF.
• In 2014, she joined the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

International Soccer Career

Tancredi playing for Canada in 2011

Melissa Tancredi also played for the Canadian national youth teams. She was part of the Canadian U19 national team and trained with the U20 team.

She made her first appearance for the senior Canadian national team in 2004. She played as a central defender in the Olympic qualifying tournament. Even though Canada won many games, they didn't make it to the Olympics that year.

In 2006, Melissa was part of the Canadian team that finished second in the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup. In 2007, she scored a very fast goal in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup against Australia, just 37 seconds into the game!

Melissa won a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games. She also played in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.

She was a key player for Canada when they won bronze medals at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics. In London, she scored four goals, and in Rio, she scored two. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she scored both goals in a 2-1 win against Germany, which helped Canada finish first in their group.

Melissa played in three World Cup tournaments (2007, 2011, and 2015) and three Olympic Games (2008, 2012, and 2016). In these big tournaments, she played 24 matches and scored 8 goals.

Life After Soccer

Melissa Tancredi announced she was retiring from soccer in January 2017. She is now a chiropractor, which is a type of doctor who helps people with problems in their bones and muscles. She practices in Vancouver.

Honours and Awards

Melissa Tancredi has won several important medals for Canada:

• Summer Olympic Games: Bronze Medal in 2012 (London) and 2016 (Rio de Janeiro)
• Pan American Games: Bronze Medal in 2007 (Rio de Janeiro)

Images for kids

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  Tancredi in 2024

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  Tancredi playing for Canada in 2011