Emerson Elgin

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Emerson Elgin
Emerson Elgin Gotham FC Bay FC 6.21.2025-027 (cropped).jpg
Elgin with Gotham FC in 2025
Personal information
Full name Emerson Mackenzie Elgin [1]
Date of birth (2003-03-21) March 21, 2003 (age 22)
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s)
Team information
Current team
 Boston Legacy
Youth career
Players Development Academy
2018 Ramapo Raiders
2019–2021 STA
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2021–2024 North Carolina Tar Heels 73 (1)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2024 North Carolina Courage U23 5 (2)
2025 Gotham FC 0 (0)
2026– Boston Legacy 0 (0)
2025 → Tampa Bay Sun (loan) 2 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of December 20, 2025

Emerson Mackenzie Elgin (born March 21, 2003) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a left back for Boston Legacy FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels and helped the team win the 2024 national championship, ending a 12-year drought.

Contents

Early life

Elgin grew up in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, the daughter of Johanna and Ernest Elgin, and has three older brothers. She played soccer at a young age in the footsteps of her brothers, two of whom played in college. [1] [2] She attended Ramapo High School, earning all-state honors and leading the team with 20 goals in 16 games in her lone season as a sophomore. [1] [3] She played club soccer for Players Development Academy before moving to STA Soccer, where she was team captain. [1] [2] She committed to North Carolina as a freshman. [2]

College career

Elgin entered her freshman season with North Carolina Tar Heels as a starter but tore her quadriceps in the second game of the season, ruling her out for the rest of the year. [4] She returned the next year to play in 23 games (7 starts) as a sophomore in 2022, starting the last five rounds in the NCAA tournament as North Carolina finished runners-up to UCLA. In 2023, she recorded 3 assists in 22 games (21 starts), including the winning assist to Ally Sentnor in the NCAA tournament second round as North Carolina reached the quarterfinals. [1] She was the only starter to return to the team in 2024, when she played in 26 games (25 starts) and scored 1 goal with 1 assist. [1] [5] She played every minute in the NCAA tournament after the first round, helping her team concede just once in six games. North Carolina defeated Wake Forest 1–0 in the final to win its 23rd national title and first since 2012. [1] [6]

During college, Elgin also played for the 2024 USL W League champion North Carolina Courage U23, scoring two goals in five games. [7]

Club career

Elgin trained with the NWSL's North Carolina Courage and Gotham FC as a non-roster trialist in the 2025 preseason. [8] On April 12, Gotham FC signed Elgin to a short-term injury replacement contract through June, but she did not make any appearances. [9]

On July 17, 2025, NWSL expansion team Boston Legacy announced that they had signed Elgin through 2027. [10] Before the Legacy began play in 2026, she went on loan to USL Super League club Tampa Bay Sun for the rest of the year. [10] On August 23, she made her professional debut with the Sun, playing the entire match in their opening day 2–1 loss to the Brooklyn FC, but then picked up a foot injury which limited her to two appearances during the loan. [11]

International career

Elgin was invited to virtual training with the United States under-19 team during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. [12]

Honors

North Carolina Courage U23

North Carolina Tar Heels

Gotham FC

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Emerson Elgin". North Carolina Tar Heels . Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Tartaglia, Greg (June 21, 2018). "New Jersey freshman in 'nirvana' after recruitment to UNC women's soccer team". NorthJersey.com . Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Ramapo Girls Soccer 2018-2019 Stats". NJ.com . Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  4. ↑ TCT Network (February 26, 2025). "Playing 4 Purpose | Emerson Elgin". YouTube . Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  5. ↑ Olorunfemi, Victor (December 4, 2024). "UNC's Path to Women's College Cup". TopDrawerSoccer . Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  6. ↑ Koh, Michael (December 9, 2024). "UNC Women's Soccer Beats Wake Forest to Win 23rd National Championship". Chapelboro.com . Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  7. ↑ "NC Courage U23 Pre-Professional". USL W League . Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  8. ↑ "NC Courage Announces Preseason Roster". North Carolina Courage. January 27, 2025. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
    "Gotham FC Adds Nine Players for Preseason Training". Gotham FC. February 19, 2025. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Gotham FC Signs Betos, Elgin as Injury Replacement Players". Gotham FC. April 12, 2025. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
    "Gotham FC Announces Roster Updates Ahead of Free Agency Window". Gotham FC. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Bird, Hayden (July 17, 2025). "Boston Legacy FC announce pair of signings as roster continues to take shape". Boston.com . Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Brooklyn FC 2–1 Tampa Bay Sun FC". USL Super League. August 23, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
    "Match Notes 2025/2026" (PDF). Tampa Bay Sun FC. p. 2. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  12. ↑ Cooper, Darren (April 30, 2021). "Soccer: Ramapo senior Emerson Elgin selected to national team pool". NorthJersey.com . Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Gotham FC Crowned Champions of Inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup". Gotham FC. May 25, 2025. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
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