Ashley Marie Hatch (born May 25, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team.

Ashley Hatch
Hatch with the Washington Spirit in 2024
Personal information
Full name Ashley Marie Hatch[1]
Date of birth (1995-05-25) May 25, 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth San Dimas, California, United States
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Washington Spirit
Number 33
Youth career
Arizona Arsenal 95 Premier Teal
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2016 BYU Cougars 75 (47)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017 North Carolina Courage 24 (7)
2017–2018Melbourne City (loan) 14 (2)
2018– Washington Spirit 125 (42)
International career
2015–2018 United States U23
2016– United States 22 (5)
Managerial career
2018 Utah Valley Wolverines (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of August 25, 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of December 5, 2023

Hatch played college soccer for the BYU Cougars before being selected by the Courage as the second overall pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft. She helped the Courage win the NWSL Shield that season and was named the Rookie of the Year. The next season, she was traded to the Spirit, where she won the NWSL Golden Boot and the NWSL Championship in 2021.

College career

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Hatch attended Brigham Young University (BYU) where she played for the BYU Cougars women's soccer team from 2013 to 2016 in the West Coast Conference (WCC).[2] During her freshman season, she started in all 21 games, scored six goals and provided seven assists.[2] She earned All-WCC Freshman Team honors and was named an All-West Honorable Mention, CollegeSportsMadness.com's WCC Freshman of the Year, and was ranked 82nd in the Freshman Top 100 by Top Drawer Soccer.[2] During her sophomore season in 2014, Hatch's 15 shots in one match set a new school record.[2] Her 18 goals tied for fifth highest in the program's history.[2] She scored multiple goals in five games which ranked second in the program's history and first since 1996.[2] Hatch ranked ninth for goals scored per game, points per game and total goals scored per game nationwide.[2] She was named Player of the Week by ESPNW on October 15[3] and was named WCC Co-Player of the Year. Hatch earned All-WCC First Team and NSCAA All-West Region First Team honors.[2]

As a junior in 2015, Hatch started in 10 of the 13 games she played. She suffered an injury that prevented her from playing for the majority of the season.[2] She scored four goals—including three game-winning goals— and recorded two assists.[2] Hatch was ranked best player in the West Coast Conference by Top Drawer Soccer in 2015 and 2016.[4] During her senior season, Hatch scored a hat-trick against Penn State in August and was named Player of the Week by ESPNW for a second time.[5] She was also named NCAA and WCC Player of the Week.[2] Hatch started in all twenty matches, scored 19 goals and recorded six assists during the season.[2] She was named a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy[6] and was ranked the seventh best player in the country by Top Drawer Soccer.[2]

Club career

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North Carolina Courage, 2017

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Hatch (right) with the North Carolina Courage in 2017

Hatch was selected by the North Carolina Courage as the second overall pick of the 2017 NWSL College Draft. She signed with the team on April 10, 2017.[7] She made her debut for the club during its second match of the 2017 season: a 1–0 win over Portland Thorns FC on April 17.[8] Hatch scored her first goal on June 3 during a 2–0 win against FC Kansas City.[9] During a match against the Boston Breakers on June 24, she scored the game-winning goal in the Courage's 1–0 win.[10] She scored the game-winning goals in matches against the Seattle Reign FC on July 8[11] and Washington Spirit on August 19.[12]

The Courage finished the regular season in first place with a 16–7–1 record winning the NWSL Shield and was the first team to secure a spot in the NWSL Playoffs after a 4–0 win over the Houston Dash where Hatch scored the fourth goal.[13] Hatch scored seven goals in her 24 appearances for the Courage.[8] After defeating the Chicago Red Stars 1–0 in the semi-finals and advancing to the NWSL Championship Final, the Courage lost 1–0 to the Portland Thorns FC.[14]

Hatch was named NWSL Rookie of the Year after recording seven goals (including three game-winning goals) and one assist in her first professional season,[15] which helped the Courage win the 2017 NWSL Shield.[16]

Melbourne City, 2017–2018 (loan)

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In October 2017, Hatch joined defending W-League champions Melbourne City for the 2017–18 W-League season.[17] She was a regular contributor to the W-League champions earning 14 appearances and scoring twice. City's success brought them to the Grand Final against Sydney FC where Hatch helped City to a third-consecutive title.[18]

Washington Spirit, 2018–present

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In January 2018, Hatch was traded to the Washington Spirit along with teammate Taylor Smith in exchange for Crystal Dunn's rights.[19] In 2021, Hatch helped the Spirit reach the NWSL championship, winning against the Chicago Red Stars, 2–1, in overtime. On October 31, 2021, Hatch won the Golden Boot after finishing the regular season with 10 goals.[20]

International career

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Hatch made her senior national team debut for the United States on October 19, 2016, in a friendly match against Switzerland[21] and her second appearance on April 5, 2018, against Mexico.[22]

On August 23, 2018, Hatch was named to the United States U-23 team for the 2018 Nordic tournament.[23]

On November 9, 2021, Hatch was named to the USWNT for 2 friendlies in Australia. In the first of the two against Australia, Hatch scored 24 seconds into the game to record her first International goal.

Coaching career

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On July 2, 2018, Utah Valley University announced they had hired Hatch as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2018 season, Hatch's sister Brianna plays on the UVU soccer team.[24]

Personal life

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Hatch was born in California and spent most of her years growing up in Utah and Arizona.[25] She has three younger siblings.[25] She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[26][27] and attended Brigham Young University. Hatch married Jeff Van Buren in 2019.[28]

In July 2024, Hatch was one of five active NWSL players who represented the NWSL Players Association at the final negotiations in Philadelphia that updated the league's collective bargaining agreement through 2030.[29]

Career statistics

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International

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As of match played December 5, 2023
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
United States 2016 1 0
2017 - -
2018 1 0
2019 - -
2020 - -
2021 2 2
2022 10 2
2023 8 1
Total 22 5
Scores and results list United States's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hatch goal.
List of international goals scored by Ashley Hatch
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 November 27, 2021 Sydney, Australia   Australia 1–0 3–0 Friendly [m 1]
2 November 30, 2021 Newcastle, Australia   Australia 1–0 1–1 Friendly [m 2]
3 February 20, 2022 Carson, California   New Zealand 4–0 5–0 2022 SheBelieves Cup [m 3]
4 April 9, 2022 Columbus, Ohio   Uzbekistan 8–1 9–1 Friendly [m 4]
5 January 21, 2023 Auckland, New Zealand   New Zealand 1–0 5–0 Friendly [m 5]

Honors

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North Carolina Courage
Melbourne City
Washington Spirit
United States

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "National team roster – 2022 Concacaf W Championship: USA" (PDF). CONCACAF. June 8, 2022. p. 15. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Ashley Hatch". Brigham Young University. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  3. ^ "espnW Soccer Player Of The Week: BYU's Ashley Hatch". espnW. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  4. ^ "College Soccer Player Rankings". TopDrawerSoccer.com. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  5. ^ "BYU Cougars star Ashley Hatch named espnW NCAA soccer player of the week". espnW. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  6. ^ "DI Soccer: MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalists named". NCAA.com. November 29, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  7. ^ "North Carolina Courage Sign Ashley Hatch and Darian Jenkins". North Carolina FC. April 10, 2017. Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  8. ^ a b "A. Hatch". Soccer Way. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  9. ^ "Soccer: Why the North Carolina Courage celebrated like crazy after one player's goal". Excelle Sports. June 5, 2017. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  10. ^ "Hatch performance leads Courage sweep of Breakers – Equalizer Soccer". Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  11. ^ "Seattle Reign fall to North Carolina on the road". Sounder At Heart. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  12. ^ "Recap: Mistakes loom as Spirit drop 2–0 decision to North Carolina Courage". Black And Red United. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  13. ^ "NC Courage Wins NWSL Shield After 4–0 Victory Against The Houston Dash". Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  14. ^ DelGallo, Alicia. "Portland Thorns win NWSL championship 1–0 over North Carolina". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  15. ^ a b "Soccer: North Carolina Courage forward Ashley Hatch wins Rookie of the Year". Excelle Sports. October 17, 2017. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  16. ^ Vavel (October 18, 2017). "Ashley Hatch named 2017 Rookie of the Year". VAVEL.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  17. ^ Davutovic, David (October 25, 2017). "Melbourne City caps off W-League signing spree with international duo Alanna Kennedy and Yukari Kinga". Herald Sun.
  18. ^ a b "Spirit forward Ashley Hatch wins Westfield W-League championship with Melbourne City FC". Washington Spirit. February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  19. ^ "Washington Spirit acquires U.S. internationals Taylor Smith, Ashley Hatch from North Carolina Courage". washingtonspirit.com. January 16, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  20. ^ "Washington Spirit beats Houston Dash, will host NWSL playoff game". The Washington Post.
  21. ^ "One Nation. One Team. Five First Caps". United States Soccer Federation. October 22, 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  22. ^ "WNT Dispatches Mexico 4–1 in First of Two April Friendlies". United States Soccer Federation. April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  23. ^ "U-23 WNT HEADED TO NORWAY FOR 2018 NORDIC TOURNAMENT". August 23, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  24. ^ "Hatch joins UVU women's soccer as volunteer assistant". July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  25. ^ a b "About". Ash Hatch. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  26. ^ "U.S. Soccer Star Nicknamed 'Mormon Goal Scorer'". Famous Mormons.net. July 12, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  27. ^ Arkell, Ben (February 20, 2019). "Former BYU Soccer Player Lands on SportsCenter for Unreal Trick-Shot". Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  28. ^ Swensen, Jason (June 4, 2020). "Pro soccer's return can't come soon enough for former BYU star Ashley Hatch". Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  29. ^ Yang, Steph (August 22, 2024). "Inside NWSL and the players' union's new CBA after 10 months of bargaining". The Athletic. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  30. ^ "Getting to know the North Carolina Courage, the Thorns' NWSL Championship opponent". OregonLive.com. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  31. ^ "GNWSL Championship: Winning Spirit team ponders chances at a dynasty; Red Stars wonder if the window is closing".
  32. ^ Das, Andrew (July 19, 2022). "U.S. Women Beat Canada to Claim Spot in Paris Olympics". The New York Times.
  33. ^ "U.S. Women's National Team Defeats Iceland 5-0 to Win Third Consecutive and Fifth Overall SheBelieves Cup Title, Presented by Visa". U.S. Soccer. February 23, 2022.
  34. ^ Herrera, Sandra (February 22, 2023). "USWNT vs. Brazil score: USA win SheBelieves Cup with Alex Morgan and Mallory Swanson dominating in attack". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  35. ^ Linehan, Meg (June 30, 2017). "June Team of the Month announced". NWSL. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
Match reports
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