Avery Patterson (soccer)

Avery Patterson
Patterson with the Houston Dash in 2024
Personal information
Full name Avery Jean Patterson[1]
Date of birth (2002-06-14) June 14, 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Position(s) Right wingback, winger
Team information
Current team
 Houston Dash
Number 30
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2023 North Carolina Tar Heels 72 (27)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024– Houston Dash 25 (0)
International career
2022 United States U-20 7 (6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 2, 2024

Avery Jean Patterson (born June 14, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays primarily as a right wingback for the Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Patterson played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels and was selected by the Dash in the 2024 NWSL Draft. She represented the United States at the youth international level.

Early life and college career

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Patterson was born in Jacksonville, Florida, to Lori and Andrew Patterson.[2] She comes from an football family; her father played sprint football at the US Naval Academy, and one of her great uncles played for the Los Angeles Rams and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[2]

Patterson began playing soccer at age four.[3] Mostly a center midfielder in her youth, she played club soccer for Florida Elite Soccer Academy's youth team and was named the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) Southeast Player of the Year in 2018.[3][4] She played high school soccer at the Bolles School, winning three straight FHSAA championships as a midfielder from 2018 to 2020.[5] She also ran varsity cross country and track in high school.[2]

North Carolina Tar Heels

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Patterson played for the North Carolina Tar Heels as variously a defender, midfielder, and forward.[6] After missing her freshman regular season due to injury in fall 2020, she started for North Carolina as they reached the NCAA semifinals in the spring. She scored five goals as a sophomore playing as a fullback in the 2021 season. In her junior year in 2022, she led the team with 13 goals and was named to the All-ACC second team.[2] She opened scoring in the ACC final that year, which ended as a 2–1 loss to Florida State.[7] She made a tournament-high five assists to help North Carolina reach the 2022 national title game, where she scored twice to take a 2–0 lead before UCLA came back late to win 3–2 in overtime.[8][9] One of the team's captains as a senior, she scored nine goals and was named first-team All-ACC and third-team All-American in 2023.[10]

Club career

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Houston Dash

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The Houston Dash selected Patterson with the 19th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NWSL Draft.[11] She was signed to a three-year contract.[12] She debuted on the opening matchday on March 16, starting in a 5–1 loss to the North Carolina Courage.[13] On November 2, she scored her first professional goal in the last match of the season, a 3–2 loss to Bay FC.[14] She finished her rookie season with two assists and one goal; she played the most minutes of any Dash field player and made 28 appearances (the most for the club) in all competitions.[15]

International career

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Patterson trained with the United States under-14 team in 2016.[3][16] On her debut for the under-20 team, she scored four first-half goals against Puerto Rico at the 2022 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship, which the United States won.[17] She played friendlies with the under-23 team against NWSL teams in the 2023 preseason.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "December Commencement 2023" (PDF). University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Avery Patterson – Women's Soccer". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Florida Elite Soccer Academy – Avery Patterson". Upper90 Magazine. Vol. 2, no. 1. Florida. January–February 2018. p. 41. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  4. ^ Freeman, Clayton (July 2, 2018). "Candelino, Patterson earn regional ECHL soccer honors". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  5. ^ Freeman, Clayton (February 16, 2022). "Former Bolles midfielder Avery Patterson selected for United States U-20 women's soccer". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  6. ^ "Avery Patterson – Women's Soccer". University of North Carolina Athletics. Archived from the original on August 16, 2023.
  7. ^ "Florida State Wins Third Consecutive ACC Women's Soccer Championship". Atlantic Coast Conference. November 6, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  8. ^ Freeman, Clayton (December 6, 2022). "First Coast Varsity Weekly: UNC's Avery Patterson scores in NCAA women's soccer final". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  9. ^ Camargo, Alberto (December 2, 2022). "North Carolina outlasts Florida St. in 3-2 thriller to advance to 2022 Women's College Cup final". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  10. ^ "Patterson, Sentnor Nab United Soccer Coaches All-America Honors". University of North Carolina Athletics. December 1, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  11. ^ Freeman, Clayton (January 13, 2024). "Dash to the Draft: Bolles' Avery Patterson selected for National Women's Soccer League". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  12. ^ "Houston Dash Reveal Team Roster for Start of Regular Season". Houston Dash. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  13. ^ "Houston Dash fall in regular season opener against North Carolina Courage". Houston Dash. March 16, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  14. ^ "Houston Dash Split the Regular Season Series with Bay FC to Close the Season". Houston Dash. November 3, 2024. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  15. ^ "Houston Dash Announce 2024 Team Awards". Houston Dash. November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  16. ^ "Thirty-six players called into U14 GNT camp". United States Soccer Federation. July 1, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.com.
  17. ^ Freeman, Clayton (March 1, 2022). "First Coast Varsity Weekly: Avery Patterson's U.S. soccer debut a game to remember". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  18. ^ "U.S. Under-23 Women's Youth National Team Falls 4-1 to Portland Thorns in Second Game of Preseason Tournament". United States Soccer Federation. March 15, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
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