Midge Purce facts for kids
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Purce with Gotham in 2023
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Margaret Melinda Williams-Purce | ||
| Date of birth | September 18, 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Gotham FC | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2017 | Boston Breakers | 22 | (1) |
| 2018–2019 | Portland Thorns | 41 | (8) |
| 2020– | Gotham FC | 46 | (16) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011–2012 | United States U17 | ||
| 2013–2014 | United States U20 | ||
| 2015–2018 | United States U23 | ||
| 2019– | United States | 30 | (4) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Margaret Melinda "Midge" Williams-Purce (born September 18, 1995) is an American soccer player. She plays as a forward for NJ/NY Gotham FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She also plays for the U.S. national team.
Midge Purce is known for her strength with the ball. She is also willing to help defend when playing offense. She was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of Gotham FC's 2023 NWSL Championship.
She first played for the United States at the under-17 level. She appeared in the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She joined the senior national team in 2019.
Midge played college soccer at Harvard University. She is a strong supporter of equal pay for women. She also helped start the Black Women's Players Collective.
Contents
Early Life and School
Midge Purce was born on September 18, 1995. Her parents are James Purce. She has an older brother named JP Purce.
She started playing soccer when she was a child. She followed in her brother's footsteps. Midge went to Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic High School in Maryland. In 2012, she was named Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year. She was also an NSCAA All-American in 2010 and 2011.
College Soccer Career
Midge Purce played college soccer for the Harvard Crimson women's team. She scored 42 goals in 69 games.
She was named Ivy League Player of the Year in both 2015 and 2016. In 2016, she was also a first-team NSCAA All-American. Midge studied psychology at Harvard.
Professional Club Career
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Starting with Boston Breakers (2017)
After college, Midge Purce was chosen by the Boston Breakers in the 2017 NWSL College Draft. She was the 9th player picked. She played in 22 games for Boston and scored one goal.
Playing for Portland Thorns FC (2018–2019)
The Boston Breakers team closed down in 2018. Midge Purce was then chosen by the Portland Thorns FC in a special draft.
In 2018, she played in 21 games for the Thorns. She mostly played as a right fullback. In 2019, Midge started playing more as a forward. She scored 5 goals in just 5 games that season.
Joining NJ/NY Gotham FC (2020–Present)
Midge Purce was traded to Sky Blue FC in 2020. The team later changed its name to NJ/NY Gotham FC.
In the 2021 NWSL season, Midge played as a forward and scored nine goals. This made her the team's top scorer. She finished second in the NWSL Golden Boot race. She was also named to the NWSL Best XI team.
In 2022, Midge signed a new contract with Gotham FC for two years. In the 2023 NWSL season, she had a quad injury. But she was very important in Gotham FC's playoff run. She helped score both goals in their 2-1 win in the Championship game. She was named the Championship MVP.
At Gotham FC, Midge is known for her strong dribbling skills. She is a dynamic attacking player who also helps out with defense. She is expected to stay with Gotham FC through the 2024 season.
Playing for the U.S. National Team
Youth National Teams (2011–2018)
Midge Purce played for the United States women's national under-17, under-20, and under-23 teams.
She played in the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. She also played in 4 games in the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She scored goals for the U.S. U20 team against France and Mexico.
Senior National Team (2017–Present)
Midge Purce was first called up to the U.S. women's national team in 2017. She did not play in any games then. In 2018, she got another call-up but got injured in training.
In November 2019, she joined the U.S. team's training camp under the new coach, Vlatko Andonovski. She played her first game for the U.S. national team on November 10, 2019, against Costa Rica. She played the whole game as a right back. The U.S. team won 6-0. Midge scored her first goal for the senior national team on January 21, 2021, against Colombia.
In November 2021, Midge was called up to the national team as a forward. She has played in 25 games for the national team. She helped the United States win the SheBelieves Cup in 2021, 2022, and 2023. She also won the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship with the team. Due to an injury in April 2023, she was not chosen for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup team.
Advocacy and Off-Field Work
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Midge Purce is a member of the Board of Overseers at Harvard University. She was chosen in 2020. She also helped start the Black Women's Players Collective (BWPC). This group helps create opportunities for black girls in sports and beyond. For her work with BWPC, Midge was named to the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Sports category.
On March 24, 2021, Midge Purce visited the White House with her U.S. teammate Megan Rapinoe. They spoke about the importance of equal pay. Midge said, "Invest in women, then let's talk again when you see the return."
Personal Life
Midge Purce created a reality TV show called The Offseason. The show features NWSL players training before the new season. It started in 2024.
Honors and Awards
NJ/NY Gotham FC
- NWSL Championship: 2023
United States
- CONCACAF Women's Championship: 2022
- CONCACAF W Gold Cup: 2024
- SheBelieves Cup: 2021; 2022; 2023
Individual Awards
- NWSL Team of the Month: June 2019, August 2019
- NWSL Player of the Week: 2019 week 19, 2021 week 1, 2021 week 21
- NWSL Goal of the Week: 2019 week 8
- Portland Thorns Supporters' Player Of The Year: 2019
- NWSL Best XI First Team: 2021
- NWSL Championship Game MVP: 2023
