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Meredith Speck

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Meredith Speck
Speck in 2024
Personal information
Full name Meredith Madeline Speck[1]
Date of birth (1993-02-01) February 1, 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth Rockville Centre, New York, United States
Height 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 North Carolina Courage
Number 25
Youth career
2006–2013 Albertson Fury
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2014 Yale Bulldogs 56 (7)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015 Västerås BK30
2016 Western New York Flash 6 (0)
2017– North Carolina Courage 89 (7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 5, 2024

Meredith Madeline Speck (born February 1, 1993) 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 is the only active player for the Courage who was part of the club when they were the Western New York Flash.[2] She has won three NWSL Championships, three NWSL Shields, and two NWSL Challenge Cups with the Flash / Courage.

Career

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Early career

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Speck was raised in a soccer family in the Long Island village of Rockville Centre, New York. She was coached by both of her parents, and both of her older sisters played college soccer.[3][4] She attended Sacred Heart Academy, which she helped to a New York state championship in 2008, and became captain of her school team in her senior year. She played ECNL club soccer for Albertson Fury, where she was coached by her future NWSL head coach Paul Riley.[3][5]

Speck played college soccer for the Yale Bulldogs, where she recorded 7 goals and 15 assists in 56 appearances from 2011 to 2014. She became team captain and was named to the Ivy League all-conference team three times.[5][6] During college, she was selected to the United States national under-23 team for a series of friendlies in Norway but did not play due to a collarbone injury.[4]

After college, Speck was named to the 2015 preseason roster for NWSL club Portland Thorns.[7] She signed later in the year with Swedish club Västerås BK30.[4][8]

Western New York Flash / North Carolina Courage

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2016–2020

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Speck playing for the Flash in 2016

Speck returned to the United States and joined NWSL club Western New York Flash in the 2016 preseason. The club announced her signing on April 23, and she later that day she played the full 90 minutes against the Chicago Red Stars.[9][10] She was the first Yale Bulldog to play in the NWSL.[5] She started five of her six appearances during the season.[6] The Flash won the 2016 NWSL Championship in a penalty shootout over the Washington Spirit.[11]

Before the 2017 season, the Flash were sold to new ownership and moved to North Carolina, where they became the North Carolina Courage.[12] Speck appeared in four matches for the Courage as they won the NWSL Shield with league's best record, though they lost the championship game to the Portland Thorns.[13][14]

Speck helped the Courage repeat as NWSL Shield winners in 2018, making 15 appearances.[15] She was an unused substitute in the playoffs as the Courage won the 2018 NWSL Championship in a rematch with the Portland Thorns.[16]

North Carolina won the Shield for a third time and defended the Championship in 2019.[17] Speck made eight appearances that season, all off the bench.[6]

Speck started five of seven appearances for the Courage in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup and Fall Series.[6]

2021–

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Speck started 11 of 22 appearances in all competitions in 2021.[6] She scored her first NWSL goal in a 1–0 regular-season win over NJ/NY Gotham FC on August 7.[18]

Speck started 12 of 17 games in all competitions in 2022. She appeared as a late substitute in the 2022 Challenge Cup final, which the Courage won against the Washington Spirit.[19] After the Challenge Cup, North Carolina head coach Sean Nahas said of Speck: "She's a massive glue piece for us ... She's a true pro, and I say that because for five years she never saw the field, but [she] never complained".[20] The Courage finished the season in seventh place, missing the playoffs for the first time.[21] After the season, Speck's contract was extended for two years.[22]

Speck became part of the Courage's regular lineup in 2023, starting 12 of 13 appearances in all competitions, before tearing her ACL in a game against Racing Louisville on June 24.[6][23] The Courage went on to defend the Challenge Cup, defeating Racing Louisville in the final.[24] Before the next season, her contract was extended to keep her with the Courage through 2025.[25]

Speck returned from injury during a home win over the Utah Royals on May 17, 2024.[2] She contributed three assists in four games in the month of July, helping the Courage win their group in the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, and was named to the NWSL Team of the Month.[26]

Honors

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Western New York Flash

North Carolina Courage

Personal life

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Speck previously dated her North Carolina Courage teammate Debinha.[29]

References

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  1. ^ "Candidates for Degrees, Preliminary list as of May 12, 2015: Bachelor of Arts". Three Hundred Fourteenth Commencement. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University. May 18, 2015. p. 18.
  2. ^ a b Rodriguez, Alicia (May 22, 2024). "North Carolina Courage pay tribute to Meredith Speck as she returns from torn ACL". The Equalizer. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Meredith Speck". Yale Bulldogs. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Nyförvärvet Speck ska lyfta BK30" (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. August 20, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Jackson-Gibson, Adele (March–April 2019). "Captain Courageous". Yale Alumni Magazine. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Meredith Speck". North Carolina Courage. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  7. ^ "Thorns FC announce 2015 preseason roster". Portland Thorns FC. March 16, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  8. ^ "Nyförvärvet Meredith Speck på plats". Västerås BK 30 Dam. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  9. ^ "Flash Add Yale Standout Speck". April 23, 2016.
  10. ^ "Chicago Downs Western New York 1-0 in Home Opener". Chicago Red Stars. April 23, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Dart, Tom (October 10, 2016). "Western New York Flash win NWSL title on penalties after 124th-minute equalizer". The Guardian. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  12. ^ "North Carolina Courage joining NWSL signals long-term ambition for young league | FOX Sports". FOX Sports. January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  13. ^ a b WSU (September 28, 2017). "North Carolina Courage Wins 2017 NWSL Shield". Womens Soccer United. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  14. ^ "Thorns win NWSL Championship, 1-0 over Courage". National Women's Soccer League. October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  15. ^ "Meredith Speck". Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  16. ^ "Courage cap off record-setting season with NWSL Championship win". September 22, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  17. ^ "NC Courage defends NWSL title with 4–0 win over Chicago". Associated Press. October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  18. ^ "Match Recap: Specks First Career Goal Lifts Courage Over NJ/NY Gotham FC, 1–0". North Carolina Courage. August 7, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  19. ^ "Match Recap: Courage Win 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship". North Carolina Courage. May 7, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  20. ^ Braun, Jessica (May 18, 2022). "Courage's winning mentality starts with veterans like Meredith Speck". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  21. ^ Cascone, Adriana (December 21, 2023). "It's undeniable now: The North Carolina Courage are in a full-blown rebuild". The Equalizer. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  22. ^ "Courage re-sign midfielder Meredith Speck to two-year deal". North Carolina Courage. December 6, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  23. ^ "Courage place Meredith Speck on SEI list". North Carolina Courage. July 21, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  24. ^ "Champions! Courage claim Challenge Cup with 2-0 win Saturday". North Carolina Courage. September 9, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  25. ^ "Meredith Speck extended through 2025". North Carolina Courage. March 5, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  26. ^ "NWSL Announces July Best XI of the Month, Presented by Amazon Prime". National Women's Soccer League. August 9, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  27. ^ Asa (August 19, 2018). "North Carolina Courage are the 2018 NWSL Shield Winners". Womens Soccer United. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  28. ^ Brown, Morgan (October 4, 2019). "NC Courage to Receive Third Consecutive NWSL Shield on Saturday, October 12". North Carolina Courage. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  29. ^ "msn.com". MSN. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
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