Avery Patterson (soccer)

Last updated

Avery Patterson
NC Courage vs Houston Dash (Mar 2024) 066.jpg
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 back, wingback, winger
Team information
Current team
 Houston Dash
Number 15
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2021–2023 North Carolina Tar Heels 72 (27)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2024– Houston Dash 27 (0)
International career
2022 United States U-20 7 (6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:59, March 28, 2025 (UTC)

Avery Jean Patterson (born June 14, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a right back, wingback, or winger 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 second round of the 2024 NWSL Draft. She represented the United States at the youth international level.

Contents

Early life and college career

Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Patterson began playing soccer at age four. [2] [3] Mostly a central midfielder growing up, she played club soccer for Florida Elite Soccer Academy was named the ECNL Southeast Player of the Year in 2018. [3] [4] She played high school soccer at the Bolles School, winning three straight FHSAA championships from 2018 to 2020. [5] She also ran varsity cross country and track in high school. [2] She committed to play college soccer at North Carolina as a sophomore. [6]

North Carolina Tar Heels

Patterson missed her freshman regular season due to injury in fall 2020. In the spring portion of the season (postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she started 7 games at center back as North Carolina reached the semifinals of the NCAA tournament. [2] [7] In her sophomore season in 2021, she featured at outside back and scored 5 goals with 3 assists in 17 games. [5]

Patterson moved to right wing and started all 26 games in her junior year in 2022. She led the team with 13 goals and added 8 assists, earning second-team All-ACC honors. [2] [7] North Carolina topped the ACC regular-season standings. [8] Patterson scored the opening goal in the ACC tournament final, a 2–1 loss to Florida State. [9] In the NCAA tournament, she provided a tournament-high five assists as North Carolina advanced to the final, where they faced UCLA. [10] Patterson scored twice to give the Tar Heels a 2–0 lead in the title game, but UCLA came back late to win 3–2 in overtime. [11] Patterson became a team captain in her senior season in 2023. She scored 9 goals with 2 assists in 22 games, earning first-team All-ACC and third-team All-American honors. [12]

Club career

Houston Dash

The Houston Dash selected Patterson with the 19th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NWSL Draft. [13] She was signed to a three-year contract. [14] She debuted on the opening matchday on March 16, 2024, starting in a 5–1 loss to the North Carolina Courage. [15] On November 2, 2024, she scored her first professional goal in the last match of the season, a 3–2 loss to Bay FC. [16] She finished her rookie campaign with 2 assists and 1 goal in 28 appearances in all competitions; she played the most minutes of any field player on the team and was named the Dash's Newcomer of the Year. [17] After the season, she signed a new three-year contract through 2027. [18]

International career

Patterson trained with the United States under-14 team in 2016. [3] [19] She scored four goals on her debut for the under-20 team, doing so in the first half against Puerto Rico at the 2022 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship. She finished with six goals in five games as the United States won the tournament. She was not selected to the subsequent 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. [7] [20] She played friendlies with the under-23 team against NWSL teams in the 2023 preseason. [21]

Patterson was called up by Emma Hayes into Futures Camp, practicing alongside the senior national team, in January 2025. [22] Two months later, she received her first senior call-up ahead of two friendlies against Brazil. [7]

Personal life

Patterson is the daughter of Lori and Andrew Patterson. [2] Many members of her family played American football, including her father, who played sprint football for Navy; and one of her great uncles, who played for the Los Angeles Rams and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. [2]

Honors and awards

United States U-20

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "December Commencement 2023" (PDF). University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Avery Patterson – Women's Soccer". University of North Carolina Athletics . Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "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. 1 2 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. ↑ Shealer, Sheldon (April 30, 2018). "Recruiting Roundup: April 30-May 6". TopDrawerSoccer . Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Hayes Names 24-Player USWNT Roster for April Matches against Brazil". United States Soccer Federation. March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  8. ↑ Jones, Jody (October 27, 2022). "Women's Soccer Earns No. 1 Seed For The ACC Tournament". North Carolina Tar Heels . Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Florida State Wins Third Consecutive ACC Women's Soccer Championship". Atlantic Coast Conference. November 6, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ "Patterson, Sentnor Nab United Soccer Coaches All-America Honors". University of North Carolina Athletics. December 1, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ "Houston Dash Reveal Team Roster for Start of Regular Season". Houston Dash. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Houston Dash fall in regular season opener against North Carolina Courage". Houston Dash. March 16, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Houston Dash Split the Regular Season Series with Bay FC to Close the Season". Houston Dash. November 3, 2024. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Houston Dash Announce 2024 Team Awards". Houston Dash. November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Houston Dash signs Defender Avery Patterson to Contract Extension". Houston Dash. December 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Thirty-six players called into U14 GNT camp". United States Soccer Federation. July 1, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2024– via TopDrawerSoccer.com.
  20. ↑ 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.
  21. ↑ "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.
  22. ↑ "Emma Hayes Names 24 Players to the 2025 Futures Camp Which Will Run Concurrently With USWNT Training Camp in Los Angeles". United States Soccer Federation. January 8, 2025. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
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