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Paige Nielsen

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Paige Nielsen
Nielsen in 2016
Personal information
Full name Paige Kathleen Nielsen[1]
Date of birth (1993-10-14) October 14, 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth Lincoln, Nebraska, United States
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Houston Dash
Number 7
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2015 North Carolina Tar Heels 83 (13)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016 Seattle Reign FC 2 (0)
2016 Apollon
2016–2017 Western Sydney Wanderers 12 (1)
2017–2018 Suwon UDC[2] 42 (13)
2018 Canberra United 5 (0)
2019–2021 Washington Spirit 38 (1)
2022–2024 Angel City 46 (2)
2024– Houston Dash 19 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:45, October 16, 2024 (UTC)

Paige Kathleen Nielsen (born October 14, 1993) is an American professional soccer defender who currently plays for Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

She previously played for the Washington Spirit, Seattle Reign FC, and Angel City FC in the NWSL, Canberra United and Western Sydney Wanderers in the Australian W-League, Suwon UDC in Korea's WK League, and Apollon in Cyprus's First Division.

Early life

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Born in Lincoln, Nebraska to Kathy Nielsen, Paige attended Lincoln Southeast High School where she was a four-year varsity soccer player. She was twice named a Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year nominee in 2011 and 2012.[1] She set new school records after ending her high school career with 79 goals and 35 assists.[3] She was twice-named to All-State, All-Conference and All-City soccer teams.[1]

Nielsen played club soccer for Toro Bravo soccer in Omaha, Nebraska and helped lead the team to three state championships, the Midwest Regional League championship in 2011, and National League Red Division championship in 2012.[1] She played for the Nebraska Olympic Development (ODP) team from 2007 to 2010.[1]

College career

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University of North Carolina

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Nielsen attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill from 2012 to 2015 where she played for the Tar Heels.[4] During her freshman season, Nielsen played in 20 games for the Tar Heels, starting five. That same year, the team won the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship for the 21st time.[5] The following year, Nielsen ranked fourth on the team in goals scored. She finished her sophomore season with six goals and four assists.[1] During her junior season in 2014, she played in 20 games, starting nine. Four of the five goals she scored were game-winning goals, which ranked first on the team in game-winning goals.[1] Nielsen captained the Tar Heels during her senior season and finished her collegiate career with 13 goals and 7 assists playing as both a defender and forward.[6]

Club career

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Seattle Reign FC, 2016

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In January 2016, Nielsen was selected as the 25th overall pick of the 2016 NWSL College Draft by the Seattle Reign, becoming the first Nebraskan native to be drafted by an NWSL team.[7][8][9] She signed with the club in May of the same year.[10] She made her debut for the club in a match against the Chicago Red Stars on May 22.[11] The following week, she played the full ninety minutes in the forward position in a friendly against recent FA WSL champion Arsenal L.F.C.[12] Nielsen was waived by the Reign in July 2016.[13]

Western Sydney Wanderers, 2016–2017

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After short stint with Apollon in Cyprus, Nielsen signed with the Western Sydney Wanderers for the 2016-17 W-League season where she started all twelve games for the Wanderers.[14]

Suwon UDC, 2017–2018

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After the conclusion of the W-League season, Nielsen signed with Suwon UDC in the WK League in South Korea.[15]

Canberra United, 2018

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In November 2018, Nielsen signed with Canberra United in the W-League.[16] She departed the club in December after making five appearances for the team.[17]

Washington Spirit, 2019–2021

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In February 2019, Nielsen returned to the NWSL signing with the Washington Spirit.[18]

Angel City FC, 2022–2024

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On December 16, 2021 Nielsen was selected by Angel City FC in the 2022 NWSL Expansion Draft and went on to make twenty appearances and sixteen starts in her first season with the club.[19] The club finished their first season in eighth place with a 8–9–5 record.[20] Nielsen signed a two-year contract extension in December 2022.[21]

External videos
video icon Nielsen's equalizer goal against San Diego Wave, June 2023 retrieved March 23, 2024

During the 2023 season, Nielsen was a starting defender in all 21 games she played.[22] She scored the equalizer goal in the club's 2-1 win against Southern California rivals San Diego Wave FC on June 17.[23] Angel City finished in fifth place during the regular season and advanced to the playoffs for the first time[24] where they were eliminated by Seattle Reign FC in the quarter final match.[25]

Houston Dash, 2024–

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On April 20, 2024, Angel City FC announced that Nielsen had been traded to the Houston Dash in exchange for $50,000 in allocation and $50,000 in transfer funds.[26] She scored a 98th-minute goal to beat her former team, Angel City, 1–0 on May 12.[27]

Personal life

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Nielsen has said that she plays for her mother, Kathy, who lost her life to Hodgkin lymphoma when Nielsen was a senior in college.[28][29]She married Jennifer Riservato on January 22, 2022.[30]

Nielsen had emergency surgery for a blood clotting condition in 2022.[31]

Television and film

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Nielsen was featured the documentary series Angel City in 2023.[32]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Paige Nielsen". University of North Carolina. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  2. ^ "수원FC여자축구". Suwonudc.co.kr. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  3. ^ "Paige Nielsen will take her goal-scoring ways to North Carolina". Lincoln Journal Star. May 26, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  4. ^ Hays, Graham (October 1, 2013). "Paige Nielsen follows passion to UNC". ESPN. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  5. ^ "North Carolina wins 21st NCAA women's soccer crown". USA Today. December 3, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  6. ^ DeVito, Joey (December 10, 2015). "Paige Nielsen Completes Unique Carolina Journey". Chapelboro. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  7. ^ "Florida State defender Carson Pickett headlines Seattle Reign 2016 NWSL Draft class". The Seattle Times. January 15, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  8. ^ Oltmans, Brady (January 20, 2015). "Southeast grad and NWSL draftee Nielsen honing soccer skills in Germany". Lincoln Journal-Star. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  9. ^ Oltmans, Brady (January 15, 2016). "Lincoln native Nielsen picked in NWSL draft". Lincoln Journal-Star. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  10. ^ "Defender Paige Nielsen Signs with Seattle Reign FC". National Women's Soccer League. May 5, 2016. Archived from the original on May 9, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  11. ^ "Reign FC fall 1–2 to Red Stars at Memorial Stadium". Seattle Reign FC. May 22, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  12. ^ "Reign FC Play Arsenal Ladies FC to 1–1 Draw at Memorial Stadium on Thursday Evening". Seattle Reign FC. May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ Reynolds, Nathan (July 2, 2016). "Seattle Reign: Paige Nielsen Waived". MLS Multiplex. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  14. ^ "Paige Nielsen". November 4, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  15. ^ "MY DECISION ON SOUTH KOREA". July 5, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  16. ^ "Canberra United sign American Paige Nielsen". November 13, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  17. ^ "NIELSEN DEPARTS CANBERRA". December 25, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  18. ^ "Washington Spirit signs Paige Nielsen". Washington Spirit. February 28, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  19. ^ "National Women's Soccer League Official Site | NWSL". www.nwslsoccer.com. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  20. ^ "2022 Angel City FC". Soccerway. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  21. ^ "Angel City FC sign D Paige Nielsen to 2-year deal". Sporting Tribune. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  22. ^ "P. Nielsen". Soccerway. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  23. ^ "In first game since its coach was fired, Angel City rallies to beat San Diego Wave". Los Angeles Times. June 18, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  24. ^ "Angel City FC season preview: Aiming to become contenders". Los Angeles Daily News. March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  25. ^ Yang, Steph; Olsen, Emily. "Reign edge Angel City in NWSL quarterfinals as Rose Lavelle returns in Megan Rapinoe's final home game". The Athletic. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  26. ^ "Angel City Football Club Announces Strategic Player Trades Ahead of NWSL Deadline". angelcity.com. April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  27. ^ Calhoun, Damian (May 12, 2024). "Paige Nielsen scores late goal to defeat her former team Angel City FC". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  28. ^ "Washington Spirit soccer player is fueled by the love of her late mother". WJLA. September 24, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  29. ^ "Soccer player competes with mother in mind". KETV. September 11, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  30. ^ @paigenielsen (January 22, 2024). "Happy 2 year anniversary to my crazy, beautiful wife" – via Instagram.
  31. ^ "Angel City's Paige Nielsen back after blood clot scare". Los Angeles Daily News. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  32. ^ "Paige Nielsen | Actress". IMDb. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
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