Ashlyn Harris
Encyclopedia
Ashlyn Michelle Harris is an American
soccer goalkeeper for the Western New York Flash of Women's Professional Soccer
. During her collegiate career, she served as the starting goalkeeper for the University of North Carolina
women's soccer team. Harris began her professional career as a member of the now-defunct Saint Louis Athletica of WPS.
in Satellite Beach, Florida. Harris played for legendary high school coach Fidgi Haig. Haig is now the head soccer coach at Florida Tech University.
Harris has the distinction as being the first Four-Time Parade All-American in women's high school soccer history. Harris led the Scorpions to the state titles in 2002 and 2003. Harris starred for the 2002 team. The 2002 Satellite Scorpions women's soccer team finished 29-1-1, scoring 178 goals, allowed 10 goals in 31 games and finished No. 1 in the state and No. 5 nationally by Student Sports Magazine. An incredible 16 players went onto play college from the 2002 squad, with 10 going Division 1, with Harris being the cream of the crop. In 2004, her senior year, Harris recorded 15 shutouts while allowing only 8 goals and making 52 saves. In 2004, the Scorpions were rated No. 1 in the country by StudentSports.com. In 2004, her senior year, Harris was named the 2004 Gatorade
National Women's Soccer Player of the Year.
Women's World Championship in Victoria, British Columbia
. Due to this rule, Harris was going to fail out of school. However, Harris ended up staying eligible by making up all of her coursework.
to play for head coach Anson Dorrance
. Harris did not play the 2004 due to national team commitments but came back to play for the Tar Heels in 2005. However, Harris tore her right anterior cruciate ligament
during her first practice with UNC. Despite being hurt, Harris still made the 2005-2006 Atlantic Coast Conference
Academic Honor Roll team.
Harris tore her ACL
again in the summer of 2006. However, she came back to play in the final six games of the regular season for the Tar Heels. Dorrance employed a unique strategy, playing Harris in the second half of the games. Harris played in the 2006 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament, and played the second half versus University of North Carolina-Asheville in a 7-0 victory, vs. Navy
in a 3-0 victory in the second round of the tourney, vs. the University of Tennessee
in a 6-2 victory in the Round of 16, vs. Texas A&M
in a 3-2 victory in the quarterfinals, vs. UCLA in a 2-0 victory in the semifinals of the final four, and started the second half in the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
vs. Notre Dame
in a 2-1 victory.
On June 2, 2010, Harris signed with the Washington Freedom
.
By 2011, Harris was considered a top goalkeeper and was offered a starting position with an expansion team, the Western New York Flash. She started in each of the eighteen games for the Flash, allowing just eighteen goals for a GAA of 1.00. Despite being left off of the roster for the US Women's National Soccer team for the 2011 World Cup, Harris silenced her critics by leading the Flash to the WPS Championship. When a 2-2 tie with the Philadelphia Independence left the outcome of the match to be decided by penalty kicks, both teams were nearly perfect, but Harris made the last save to clinch the win for the Flash. She was named the 2011 Coast Guard Goalkeeper of the Year.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soccer goalkeeper for the Western New York Flash of Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer is the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded 6 teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion...
. During her collegiate career, she served as the starting goalkeeper for the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
women's soccer team. Harris began her professional career as a member of the now-defunct Saint Louis Athletica of WPS.
High school career
Harris was a four-year (2001–2004) starter at Satellite High SchoolSatellite High School
Satellite High School is a public high school located in Satellite Beach, Florida in Florida's Space Coast, Brevard County. It was founded in 1962, and has been rated an 'A' school in the state of Florida for the past four years. The 2007 - 2008 enrollment for Satellite was 1,414 students...
in Satellite Beach, Florida. Harris played for legendary high school coach Fidgi Haig. Haig is now the head soccer coach at Florida Tech University.
Harris has the distinction as being the first Four-Time Parade All-American in women's high school soccer history. Harris led the Scorpions to the state titles in 2002 and 2003. Harris starred for the 2002 team. The 2002 Satellite Scorpions women's soccer team finished 29-1-1, scoring 178 goals, allowed 10 goals in 31 games and finished No. 1 in the state and No. 5 nationally by Student Sports Magazine. An incredible 16 players went onto play college from the 2002 squad, with 10 going Division 1, with Harris being the cream of the crop. In 2004, her senior year, Harris recorded 15 shutouts while allowing only 8 goals and making 52 saves. In 2004, the Scorpions were rated No. 1 in the country by StudentSports.com. In 2004, her senior year, Harris was named the 2004 Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
National Women's Soccer Player of the Year.
High School controversy
In 2003, Harris was mired in an attendance controversy between her and the Brevard County School Board. In 2002, her sophomore year at Satellite, Harris missed 39 days of school. Despite missing these classes, she still kept up a 3.5 GPA. The next year, 2002, the School Board enforced its rule of failing students who missed more than nine classroom days per semester. In August 2002, Harris was set to embark on a 17 day trip to compete in the FIFAFIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
Women's World Championship in Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
. Due to this rule, Harris was going to fail out of school. However, Harris ended up staying eligible by making up all of her coursework.
College career
Harris signed with the University of North CarolinaUniversity of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
to play for head coach Anson Dorrance
Anson Dorrance
Anson Dorrance is the head coach of the women's soccer program at the University of North Carolina. He has one of the most successful coaching records in the history of athletics. Under Dorrance's leadership, the Tar Heels have won 20 of the 28 NCAA Women's Soccer Championships...
. Harris did not play the 2004 due to national team commitments but came back to play for the Tar Heels in 2005. However, Harris tore her right anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
during her first practice with UNC. Despite being hurt, Harris still made the 2005-2006 Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
Academic Honor Roll team.
- Redshirt Freshman Season (2006)
Harris tore her ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
again in the summer of 2006. However, she came back to play in the final six games of the regular season for the Tar Heels. Dorrance employed a unique strategy, playing Harris in the second half of the games. Harris played in the 2006 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament, and played the second half versus University of North Carolina-Asheville in a 7-0 victory, vs. Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
in a 3-0 victory in the second round of the tourney, vs. the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
in a 6-2 victory in the Round of 16, vs. Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in a 3-2 victory in the quarterfinals, vs. UCLA in a 2-0 victory in the semifinals of the final four, and started the second half in the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championships are divided into three divisions. This article lists NCAA Women's soccer championships.-Division I:The NCAA began conducting a Women's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1982 with a 12-team tournament...
vs. Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
in a 2-1 victory.
- Redshirt Sophomore Season (2007) Dorrance again employed the two-goalkeeper method, as Harris split time with junior GK Anna Rodenbough. Harris played in 19 games and made 9 starts, playing in a total of 1120 minutes and 7 seconds to lead all goalkeepers. Her record was 10 wins, 1 loss, and 1 tie. She faced 78 shots, made 29 saves, and allowed only 9 goals in 19 games for a 0.66 goals allowed per game average. On November 24, 2007, UNC lost for only its 7th time in school history in the NCAA tournament as they lost 3-2 to Notre Dame in the first round. Harris started and played all 90 minutes and allowed all three goals. The three goals came off of a header on a throw-in, a goal off of a failed clear, and a breakaway goal. The first two goals were scored only 14 seconds apart. The three goals UNC allowed were the most allowed in a NCAA game in 17 years when they won 4-3 versus North Carolina State on November 11, 1990.
- Redshirt Junior Season (2008) Dorrance has employed Harris in the two-goalkeeper system along with senior Anna Rodenbough. Rodenbough plays the first 45 minutes while Harris plays the last 45 minutes. Through September 28, 2008, UNC is 9-1-1 and is currently ranked No. 3 in the country according to the national rankings by Soccer Buzz Magazine. Harris has played 476 minutes and 24 seconds while holding a record of 4-0-1 with 14 saves.
Professional career
Harris was selected with the 19th pick in the 2010 WPS General Draft by the Saint Louis Athletica. On June 1, 2010, she became a free agent upon the team's dissolution.On June 2, 2010, Harris signed with the Washington Freedom
Washington Freedom
The Washington Freedom was an American professional soccer club based in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Germantown, Maryland that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The Freedom was originally founded in 2001 as a member of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association. Since 2004, the...
.
By 2011, Harris was considered a top goalkeeper and was offered a starting position with an expansion team, the Western New York Flash. She started in each of the eighteen games for the Flash, allowing just eighteen goals for a GAA of 1.00. Despite being left off of the roster for the US Women's National Soccer team for the 2011 World Cup, Harris silenced her critics by leading the Flash to the WPS Championship. When a 2-2 tie with the Philadelphia Independence left the outcome of the match to be decided by penalty kicks, both teams were nearly perfect, but Harris made the last save to clinch the win for the Flash. She was named the 2011 Coast Guard Goalkeeper of the Year.
Honors
- 2002 Class 3A State Champion (SHS)
- 2003 Class 3A State Champion (SHS)
- 2004 National Soccer Coaches Association of America Player of the Year
- (2001–2004) 4-time NSCAANSCAAThe National Soccer Coaches Association of America is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. The NSCAA has grown from a handful of college soccer coaches to more than 22,000 members, making it the largest coaching organization in the world. Its members coach at all levels of...
All-American - (2001–2004) 4-Time Parade Magazine All-American
- 2004 Parade Magazine Player of the Year
- 2004 GatoradeGatoradeGatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
National Girl's Soccer Player of the Year - 2006 NCAA Women's Soccer ChampionshipNCAA Women's Soccer ChampionshipNCAA Women's Soccer Championships are divided into three divisions. This article lists NCAA Women's soccer championships.-Division I:The NCAA began conducting a Women's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1982 with a 12-team tournament...
(UNC) - 2011 WPS Goalkeeper of the Year
External links
- http://www.womensprosoccer.com/players/legacy/stlouis/bios/ashlyn-harris, Saint Louis Athletica bio
- http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/harris_ashlyn00.html, Ashlyn Harris UNC Profile
- http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/unc-w-soccer-body.htm, University of North Carolina Women's Soccer website