Landy Mertz

Landy Mertz
Mertz with the North Carolina Courage in 2024
Personal information
Full name Lauren Landy Mertz[1]
Date of birth (2000-07-19) July 19, 2000 (age 24)[2]
Height 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 North Carolina Courage
Number 19
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019 Dayton 19 (3)
2020–2023 Pittsburgh 63 (15)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024– North Carolina Courage 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of July 31, 2024

Lauren Landy Mertz (born July 19, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Dayton Flyers and Pittsburgh Panthers before being drafted by the Courage in the 2024 NWSL Draft.

Early life

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Mertz grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the youngest of four children born to Kelly (née Landy) and Rob Mertz.[1][3] Her father played college soccer for Grove City College; her brother Robbie has played professionally for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Atlanta United 2; and her brother Ryan played in college for Delaware.[3]

Mertz recorded 56 goals and 30 assists in her high school career at Upper St. Clair High School.[4] As a freshman in 2015, she helped the Panthers win the PIAA championship and was named the team's Rookie of the Year.[4][5] She was the team's most valuable player as a sophomore, then captained the team in her last two seasons, though she missed much of her junior year with an ankle injury.[4][5] In her senior year in 2018, she scored 20 goals and had 15 assists, leading the team to reach the WPIAL semifinals, and was named the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Girls' Soccer Player of the Year and All-American by the United Soccer Coaches.[4][5] She played club soccer for Century FC and the Riverhounds Academy, with which she won the US Club Soccer National Cup in 2015.[5][6]

College career

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Mertz played one season at the University of Dayton in 2019, scoring three goals and adding two assists, and was named to the Atlantic 10 Conference's All-Rookie Team.[5] After that season, she transferred to her hometown University of Pittsburgh; coach Randy Waldrum said the program wanted to recruit Mertz earlier, but she had already committed to Dayton.[7] She scored three goals in two appearances in 2020–21, then led the Panthers with seven assists in fifteen games in 2021.[3] She helped Pittsburgh qualify for their first NCAA tournament in 2022, where they lost to Florida State in the third round, and set a program record with 14 wins.[8][9] The next year, Pittsburgh reached the NCAA tournament quarterfinals, again losing to Florida State, who also beat them in the ACC tournament semifinals.[10] The team surpassed last year's record with 17 wins, and Mertz set a program record with 14 assists on the season.[10][11] She was named to the All-ACC third team in her last two seasons.[12]

Club career

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The North Carolina Courage drafted Mertz with the 52nd overall pick in the fourth round of the 2024 NWSL Draft.[13][14] She was signed to a three-year contract.[15] She made her professional debut on May 24, substituting in the 84th minute at the Houston Dash.[16] She scored her first professional goal on July 31 in the 90th minute against Monterrey in the group stage of the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b White, Mike (October 17, 2018). "Post-Gazette Athletes of the Week: Justin Flack and Landy Mertz". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024.
  2. ^ "Landy Mertz – NC Courage". North Carolina Courage. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Landy Mertz – Women's Soccer". University of Pittsburgh Athletics. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Phillipps, Ed (December 14, 2018). "Meet Landy Mertz, the 2018 Post-Gazette girls soccer player of the year". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Landy Mertz – Women's Soccer". University of Dayton Athletics. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  6. ^ Smith, Nathan (July 28, 2015). "Riverhounds Development Academy U15 team wins National Cup". TribLive. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  7. ^ Wilson, Mike (November 5, 2020). "Pitt women's soccer team lands transfer Landy Mertz". Cardiac Hill. SB Nation. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  8. ^ Santa, John (November 11, 2022). "Upper St. Clair grad Landy Mertz helps lead Pitt to first NCAA tournament bid in women's soccer". Pittsburgh Union Progress. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  9. ^ "No. 19 Women's Soccer's Season Ends in Sweet Sixteen Loss at No. 5 Florida State". University of Pittsburgh Athletics. November 20, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "No. 11 Panthers End Their Historic Season with a Loss Against Florida State, 3–0". University of Pittsburgh Athletics. November 24, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  11. ^ "No. 11 Panthers Slated to Meet No. 1 Florida State in NCAA Elite Eight". University of Pittsburgh Athletics. November 23, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  12. ^ "2022 All-ACC Women's Soccer Awards Announced". Atlantic Coast Conference. November 2, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
    "2023 All-ACC Women's Soccer Awards Announced". Atlantic Coast Conference. November 1, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  13. ^ "Mertz, West Become First Panthers Drafted in NWSL in Program History". University of Pittsburgh Athletics. January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  14. ^ "Two Pitt women's soccer players selected in NWSL draft, along with five from Penn State". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 13, 2024. Archived from the original on March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  15. ^ "Courage signs 2024 Draft Class". North Carolina Courage. March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  16. ^ "Match Recap: NC Courage 0–3 Houston Dash". North Carolina Courage. May 24, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  17. ^ "Match Recap: North Carolina Courage 3–0 Rayadas de Monterrey". North Carolina Courage. July 31, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
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