Tziarra King facts for kids
_031_(King).jpg)
King with the Seattle Reign in 2024
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tziarra Lanae King | ||
| Date of birth | August 24, 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Sicklerville, New Jersey, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2014 | Winslow Tigers Soccer Club | ||
| 2015–2016 | Princeton SA | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2019 | NC State Wolfpack | 88 | (48) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020 | Utah Royals | 0 | (0) |
| 2021–2024 | Seattle Reign | 68 | (5) |
| International career | |||
| 2014 | United States U16 (futsal) | ||
| 2015 | United States U18 (futsal) | ||
| 2018 | United States U23 | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of December 21, 2024 | |||
Tziarra Lanae King (born August 24, 1998) is an American professional soccer player. She played as a forward for the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club Seattle Reign. Before becoming a professional, she played college soccer for the NC State Wolfpack. She was chosen by the Utah Royals in the 2020 NWSL College Draft in 2020.
Contents
Early Life and High School Soccer
Tziarra King grew up in Sicklerville, New Jersey. She played soccer for her high school team at Winslow Township High School. She became the school's all-time top scorer, with 105 goals and 36 assists. This record was for both girls and boys soccer.
In 2014 and 2015, she was named to the First-Team All-South Jersey team. During high school, Tziarra also ran track and field. She won state championships in the indoor and outdoor 4x400 relay during her junior year. In her senior year, her 51 goals and 14 assists were the most in New Jersey.
Club Soccer and Futsal
King played club soccer for the Winslow Tigers. She helped her team win regional and state championships. She also played for Princeton SA IGFA 97/98 Tigers NPL. With this team, she won the 2015 US Club Mid-Atlantic Regional and NEWSS Championships.
Tziarra was also a champion in futsal, which is a type of indoor soccer. She played for the United States Youth Futsal National Team in international games. Besides sports, she was a great student. She was on the Honor Roll for all four years of high school and was part of the National Honor Society.
College Soccer Career
Tziarra King went to North Carolina State University. She played for the NC State Wolfpack women's soccer team from 2016 to 2019. She was one of two players from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) nominated for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. She was also the first women's soccer player in the ACC to win the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.
Freshman Year (2016)
As a freshman in 2016, King started every game as a forward. She was the Wolfpack's top scorer with eight goals. Four of these goals were game-winners. She played a total of 1,702 minutes on the field. Her penalty kick goal against Minnesota helped North Carolina move forward in the NCAA Championship. Top Drawer Soccer, a soccer news site, ranked her as the 28th best freshman player in the country.
Sophomore Year (2017)
In 2017, King led the Wolfpack in goals scored with 17. She also had 5 game-winning goals and 40 points. She was second in the ACC for goals and points. She was also fourth in goals and fifth in points across the entire NCAA. King started all 22 games and played 1,716 minutes. She scored three goals in one game (a "hat trick") against Notre Dame. She also scored two goals in a game (a "brace") multiple times. She was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week twice.
Junior and Senior Years (2018-2019)
In 2018, King was the Wolfpack's top scorer for the third year in a row. She had 10 goals and 26 points. She was on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, which means she was considered one of the top players in college soccer. She finished the season ranked 47th on Top Drawer Soccer's Top 100 Player Rankings.
In 2019, King scored 13 goals and had 32 points. She was third in the ACC and 35th in the NCAA for both goals and points. She received many awards, including All-ACC First Team. She was also recognized for her strong academic performance. She was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week twice and made the 2019 ACC All-Tournament Team.
King finished her college career as one of the best players in Wolfpack history. She ranks third all-time in career goals (48) and points (115). She was only the second player in her program's history to earn All-ACC honors four times.
Professional Club Career
Utah Royals FC (2020)
In the 2020 NWSL College Draft, Tziarra King was chosen 8th overall by the Utah Royals FC. She was the first player from NC State Wolfpack to be drafted into the NWSL. She made her first professional appearance in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup in June 2020. She scored her first professional goal less than 20 minutes after coming into the game. This happened in a 3–3 tie against the Houston Dash. King started all four games of the tournament.
Seattle Reign (2021–2024)
Before the 2021 season, King was traded to the Reign in January 2021. She started in 7 of the 15 games she played. On July 24, she scored the team's second goal in a 2–0 win against Orlando Pride. She also helped set up another goal in that game. Because of her great play, King was named NWSL Player of the Week. The Reign finished second in the regular season. They made it to the NWSL Playoffs but were eliminated by the Washington Spirit.
In 2022, King helped the Reign finish in first place during the regular season. This earned them the NWSL Shield, which is given to the team with the best regular season record.
King scored her first goal of 2024 in a 2–1 loss to the Chicago Red Stars on April 21. This goal was named the NWSL Goal of the Week. On December 20, 2024, King announced that she was leaving the club.
Honors and Awards
Seattle Reign
- The Women's Cup: 2022
- NWSL Shield: 2022
Individual Awards
- The Women's Cup Most Valuable Player: 2022
- NWSL Player of the Week: Week 10 2021
- ACC Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year: 2019
Other Work
In September 2020, Tziarra King worked with the National Women's Hockey League. They worked together to help improve how women athletes are shown in merchandise.
Personal Life
Tziarra King is known by her nickname "Zee." In October 2022, she and fellow Seattle Reign player Jess Fishlock announced they were engaged. They got married on December 12, 2023, in Fishlock's home country of Wales.
