Mallie McKenzie

Last updated

Mallie McKenzie
Mallie McKenzie.jpg
McKenzie with Georgia in 2024
Personal information
Full name Mallie Elizabeth McKenzie [1]
Date of birth (2000-11-13) November 13, 2000 (age 24)
Place of birth Roswell, Georgia, United States
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Portland Thorns FC
Number 29
Youth career
UFA Milton
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2019–2023 Georgia Bulldogs 98 (6)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2024– Portland Thorns 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of December 20, 2024

Mallie Elizabeth McKenzie (born November 13, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Contents

Early life

McKenzie was born in Roswell, Georgia. She attended Roswell High School, where she is the school’s all-time leading scorer. [2] [3] She played club for UFA Milton after switching to the team in eighth grade and helped lead the team to three Georgia State Cup championships. [4] McKenzie was the 2018 7A Player of the Year and was named to the All-Region Team in all four years of her high school career. She also ran track in her senior year and was a letterwinner in cross-country. In 2019, McKenzie placed third at the Georgia 7A state championship in the 800M. [2] [5]

College career

McKenzie attended the University of Georgia, where she played for the Georgia Bulldogs for five seasons. [2] McKenzie scored her first collegiate goal on September 9, 2021, in a 5–1 victory over Presbyterian. [6] In her senior year, McKenzie took part in her team's first NCAA appearance in 8 years. The Bulldogs' tournament ended in the second round after facing defeat at the hands of North Carolina. [7] During McKenzie's final year of college, UGA won both the SEC East season title and the SEC Championship for the first time in program history. [8] In the SEC Championship match, McKenzie forced an own goal from an Arkansas defender; the goal would end up being the match's game-winner. [9] She also played a key role in the semifinal game, scoring and tallying an assist. [10] Georgia ended the season with the highest ranking in program history. McKenzie was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team and the Academic All-District Team in 2023. [2] [11]

McKenzie left the program as the leader in career appearances at 98 and fourth in assists with 22. She also scored 6 goals while primarily playing as a wingback, although officially listed as a midfielder. [2] [6] [12] [13]

Club career

Portland Thorns FC

McKenzie was originally not mentioned in Portland Thorns FC's 2024 preseason roster. [14] However, going into the Coachella Invitational Tournament, the Thorns elected to add McKenzie to their squad as a non-roster invitee due to key international absences. [15] On March 21, 2024, the Thorns offered McKenzie her first professional contract for the 2024 season. [16] She made her professional debut in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup against Club Tijuana. [17] She started all three Summer Cup matches and registered an assist against the Utah Royals. [18] [19]  McKenzie later made her NWSL debut against NJ/NY Gotham FC on August 24, replacing Alexa Spaanstra in the 78th minute of the match. [20] In December 2024, the Thorns re-signed McKenzie to a one-year contract extension. [21]

Career statistics

Club

As of December 22, 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueCupPlayoffs [a] Continental [b] OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Portland Thorns FC 2024 NWSL 10—00303 [c] 070
Career total100000303070

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References

  1. ↑ "2024 Group Stage W Champions Cup Club Rosters Final" (PDF). CONCACAF. p. 6. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "University of Georgia Athletics". georgiadogs.com. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  3. ↑ Parker, Joe (February 21, 2018). "Roswell girls soccer talented, hungry for success in 2018". Appen Media. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  4. ↑ "University of Georgia Athletics". georgiadogs.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Athletic.net - Mallie McKenzie".
  6. 1 2 McKettrick, Ben (September 10, 2021). "3 Bulldogs score first career goals for Georgia soccer in win over Presbyterian". The Red & Black. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  7. ↑ "University of Georgia Athletics". georgiadogs.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  8. ↑ Miller, Virginia (November 6, 2023). "Georgia soccer wins first SEC championship in program history". The Red & Black. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Georgia wins first SEC tournament title with 1-0 victory over Arkansas". SoccerWire. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  10. ↑ Miller, Virginia (November 2, 2023). "Mallie McKenzie leads undermanned Georgia soccer team to SEC semifinals". The Red & Black. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  11. ↑ "University of Georgia Athletics". georgiadogs.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  12. ↑ Producer, Drew Hubbard | Digital (October 12, 2020). "Understanding the tactics behind Georgia soccer's 2020 resurgence". The Red & Black. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  13. ↑ "McKenzie's lone goal is enough for Georgia victory". Southeastern Conference. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Portland Thorns FC announce 2024 preseason roster - Portland Thorns". www.thorns.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Portland Thorns FC announce Coachella Valley Invitational roster - Portland Thorns". www.thorns.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Thorns FC sign defender Mallie McKenzie - Portland Thorns". www.thorns.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Match Report: Portland Thorns begin Summer Cup with a dominant 5-0 win over Club Tijuana - Portland Thorns". www.thorns.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  18. ↑ Oregonian/OregonLive.com, Kelly Doyle | The (July 28, 2024). "Portland Thorns fall behind early and fail to rally in Summer Cup loss to Utah Royals". oregonlive. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  19. ↑ rsl. "Utah Royals Claim Three Points In Resounding Summer Cup Win | Utah Royals". rsl. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Match Report: Thorns Suffer 2-0 Defeat at Gotham FC - Portland Thorns". www.thorns.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Portland Thorns FC Extend Defender Mallie McKenzie - Portland Thorns". www.thorns.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
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