Merritt Mathias facts for kids
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Mathias with the North Carolina Courage in 2018
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Merritt Elizabeth Mathias | ||
| Date of birth | July 2, 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham, Alabama, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||
| Playing position | Right back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Angel City FC | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2012 | New York Fury | ||
| 2013–2014 | FC Kansas City | 42 | (2) |
| 2015–2017 | Seattle Reign FC | 60 | (2) |
| 2018–2022 | North Carolina Courage | 86 | (3) |
| 2023–2024 | Angel City FC | 13 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2006–2007 | United States U-17 | ||
| 2011 | United States U-23 | ||
| 2018 | United States | 1 | (0) |
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Merritt Elizabeth Mathias (born July 2, 1990) is an American former professional soccer player. She played as a right back for Angel City FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Merritt played soccer for twelve seasons in the NWSL. She won three NWSL Shields and three NWSL Championships. She won one Championship with FC Kansas City, one Shield with Seattle Reign FC, and two championships and two Shields with the North Carolina Courage. She also played for the United States youth national teams. In 2018, she played one game for the United States senior team.
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Early Life and College Soccer
Merritt Mathias was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She played soccer for Oak Mountain High School in Birmingham. She was known as one of the best young players in the country. In 2007, she was named a Parade Magazine All-American. She also received the National High School Coaches Association All-America award in 2006 and 2007.
Playing for College Teams
Mathias started her college soccer career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She played for the Tar Heels in 2008 and 2009.
Later, she moved to Texas A&M University. There, she studied Agriculture leadership and development. In her first year with the Texas A&M Aggies, she started 20 games and scored nine goals. She was named to the All-Big 12 first team. During her senior year, she played in all 24 games and scored eight goals. She also had 11 assists, which means she helped her teammates score goals.
Professional Club Career
Merritt Mathias had a long career playing for several professional soccer clubs.
New York Fury (2012)
In 2012, Mathias joined the New York Fury. This team was part of the WPSL Elite.
FC Kansas City (2013–2014)
In 2013, Mathias was chosen by FC Kansas City in the 2013 NWSL Supplemental Draft. This was the first year of the National Women's Soccer League.
During the 2013 season, she played in 23 games and started 20 of them. She scored two goals for the team. FC Kansas City finished second in the regular season. They made it to the playoffs but lost in the semi-finals.
In the 2014 season, Mathias helped FC Kansas City win the league championship. They beat Seattle Reign FC 2–1 in the final game. She played in 22 games and started 18 of them that season.
Seattle Reign FC (2015–2017)
In 2014, Mathias was traded to Seattle Reign FC. In the 2015 season, she played in 19 of the team's 20 regular season games. She scored a game-winning goal against the Washington Spirit in May. She also scored an important goal against the Houston Dash in August. The Reign won the NWSL Shield for finishing first in the regular season. They reached the championship final but lost to FC Kansas City.
During the 2016 season, Mathias played in 19 games and started 17. She scored a goal against Sky Blue FC. The team faced many injuries to key players that season. Seattle finished fifth and just missed the playoffs.
In the 2017 season, Mathias scored a goal against the Portland Thorns FC.
North Carolina Courage (2018–2022)
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Mathias was traded to the North Carolina Courage in January 2018. She played in 22 regular season games and scored 3 goals. She was a key player in the team's defense. The Courage set a record for allowing the fewest goals and won the NWSL Shield. She was also named to the 2018 NWSL Second XI, which means she was one of the best players in the league.
In the 2018 playoffs, Mathias helped the Courage win the 2018 NWSL Championship. She even had an assist in the final game.
Angel City FC (2023–2024)
In January 2023, Mathias moved to Angel City FC. She was injured during the entire 2023 season. However, Angel City decided to keep her for 2024. Mathias finally played her first game for Angel City on March 17, 2024. She came in as a substitute against Bay FC.
On October 15, 2024, Merritt Mathias announced that she would retire from playing soccer at the end of the season.
International Career
Merritt Mathias played for several United States youth national teams. She played for the U-15, U-16, U-17, and U-23 teams.
In October 2016, she was called to train with the United States women's national soccer team. She played her first game for the senior national team on June 12, 2018. This was in a friendly match against China PR. Mathias came into the game as a substitute in the 77th minute.
She was also on the U.S. team roster for the 2018 Tournament of Nations. The U.S. team won this tournament.
Honors and Awards
Merritt Mathias has won many awards and championships during her soccer career.
FC Kansas City
- NWSL Champions: 2014
Seattle Reign
- NWSL Shield: 2015
North Carolina Courage
- NWSL Champions: 2018, 2019
- NWSL Shield: 2018, 2019
United States
- Tournament of Nations: 2018
Individual
- NWSL Second XI: 2018
See also
In Spanish: Merritt Mathias para niños
- List of Seattle Reign FC players
- List of sportswomen
