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Sophie Hirst

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Sophie Hirst
Hirst with the Houston Dash in 2024
Personal information
Date of birth (2000-02-25) February 25, 2000 (age 24)[1]
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Portland Thorns
Number 14
Youth career
Crossfire Premier
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2022 Harvard Crimson 60 (10)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023–2024 Houston Dash 19 (1)
2024– Portland Thorns 0 (0)
International career
2015–2016 United States U16
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 2, 2024

Sophie Hirst (born February 25, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Harvard Crimson.

Early life

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Hirst grew up in Seattle, Washington, where she attended Seattle Prep during high school.[3] With Seattle Prep, Hirst played as a forward[4] and helped the soccer team win the 2015 state championship,[5] where she was named the MVP of the tournament.[3] She was a three-year letterwinner for her school. Hirst played her club soccer for Crossfire Premier Soccer Club, where she helped the team to two consecutive top-three finishes in the ECNL National Finals.[3][6]

College career

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Hirst played for the Harvard Crimson women's soccer team from 2018 to 2022. In her first year with Harvard, she appeared in 11 games and started all but one, contributing 3 goals and 3 assists to the team.[3] Her first collegiate goal came on August 30, 2018, with Hirst netting a penalty kick in a 4–0 victory over Syracuse.[7] The match was also Hirst's Harvard debut.[3]

As a Sophomore, Hirst recorded 5 goals and 5 assists, receiving Second Team All-Ivy honors. She operated out of central midfield, helping Harvard tally 8 shutouts on the year. Hirst was also active offensively, scoring a college-high 5 goals and 5 assists. In 2020, the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Hirst returned in 2021 as a Senior and garnered 16 appearances, 14 of them starts. She was named to the All-Ivy First Team, stepping up from the Second-Team honor she earned in the prior season.[3] In her senior season, Hirst was also elected as the team's co-captain, sharing duties with teammate Jillian Wachira.[8][9] During her final year at Harvard, Hirst played in a career-high 17 of Harvard's games, starting in 16. She was an Academic All-Ivy honoree and was named to the All-Ivy First Team for the second year in a row.[10]

Hirst finished her college career with 60 games and 10 goals under her belt. She also shined academically, earning high grades throughout her Harvard career while studying Neuroscience.[3][11]

Club career

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Houston Dash, 2023–2024

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On January 12, 2023, Hirst was selected in the 2nd round of the 2023 NWSL Draft by the Houston Dash.[12][13] She was the 20th overall pick and the second-ever Harvard Crimson player to be drafted into the National Women's Soccer League, behind Midge Purce in the 2017 Draft.[14] The Dash signed Hirst to her first professional contract on March 25, 2023.[15]

Hirst made her debut and first start for the Dash on May 12, 2023 in a fixture against Portland Thorns FC. During the match, she made a crucial block and had a chance to score a goal in the first half.[16] Hirst nearly played a full 90 in her debut before being substituted off for teammate Havana Solaun.[17] Hirst notched her first professional goal three games later, scoring the opening goal in a 2–0 win over the Orlando Pride on June 3, 2023.[18] In the 6th minute of the match, Orlando goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse spilled the ball from a corner kick right to the feet of Hirst, who pounced upon the opportunity and kicked the ball into the net with the outside of her foot.[19][20]

While Hirst did not score any other goals in 2023, she finished the season with 12 regular season games and 2 NWSL Challenge Cup games under her belt.[21] Following Hirst's performance in her rookie season, the Dash decided to exercise Hirst's contract option, keeping her in Houston.[22] During 2024, Hirst appeared in 7 games for the Houston Dash, starting 3.[21]

Portland Thorns, 2024–

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On September 2, 2024, the Dash traded Hirst to Portland Thorns FC in exchange for a conditional $10,000 in intra-league transfer funds and $25,000 in allocation money.[23]

International career

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Hirst played for the United States U-16 women's national soccer team, receiving call-ups in 2015 and 2016.[5][24]

References

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  1. ^ "S. HIRST". Perform Group. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  2. ^ "Sophie Hirst". MLS. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Sophie Hirst - 2022 - Women's Soccer". Harvard University. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  4. ^ "Seattle Prep girls seek 3A girls soccer title repeat". The Seattle Times. 2016-11-16. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  5. ^ a b "Girls soccer 3A preview: Sophie Hirst serious about leading Seattle Prep to repeat". The Seattle Times. 2016-09-05. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  6. ^ "Hawks, FC Dallas, Blues win ECNL titles | Club Soccer | Youth Soccer". TopDrawerSoccer.com. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  7. ^ "Syracuse 2-2 -VS- Harvard 1-2". Ivy League. Sidearm Sports. August 30, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  8. ^ "Hirst, Wachira Elected Women's Soccer Team Captains for 2021". Harvard University. 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  9. ^ "Harvard women's soccer captains revealed for 2021-22". SoccerWire. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  10. ^ "Ivy League Announces Women's Soccer All-Ivy Teams, Major Awards". ivyleague.com. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  11. ^ "Sophie Hirst Selected No. 20 Overall By Houston Dash in NWSL Draft". Harvard University. 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  12. ^ "2023 NWSL Draft tracker: Complete list of picks as phenom Alyssa Thompson goes No. 1 to Angel City FC". CBSSports.com. 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  13. ^ NWSL. "National Women's Soccer League Official Site". NWSL. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  14. ^ "Sophie Hirst Selected No. 20 Overall By Houston Dash in NWSL Draft". Harvard University. 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  15. ^ FC, Houston Dynamo. "Houston Dash announce draft pick signings | Houston Dynamo". Houston Dynamo FC. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  16. ^ FC, Houston Dynamo. "Houston Dash put a thorn in Portland's undefeated record with a 2-1 win | Houston Dynamo". Houston Dynamo FC. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  17. ^ "Houston 2-1 Portland (May 12, 2023) Commentary". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  18. ^ Montaño, Alvaro (June 3, 2023). "Sophie Hirst and Michelle Alozie send Dash past Pride". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Newspapers. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  19. ^ Rollins, Sean (2023-06-04). "Orlando Pride vs. Houston Dash: Final Score 2-0 as Pride Drop Second Straight". themaneland.com. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  20. ^ FC, Houston Dynamo. "Houston leaves Orlando prideless with a 2-0 win | Houston Dynamo". Houston Dynamo FC. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  21. ^ a b NWSL. "National Women's Soccer League Official Site". NWSL. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  22. ^ FC, Houston Dynamo. "Houston Dash announce end of season roster decisions | Houston Dynamo". Houston Dynamo FC. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  23. ^ "Portland Thorns FC Acquire Midfielder Sophie Hirst - Portland Thorns". www.thorns.com. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  24. ^ "Sophie Hirst". TopDrawerSoccer.com. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
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