Jennifer Kim Mead (born June 13, 1972) is an American former soccer player who played as a goalkeeper, making six appearances for the United States women's national team. She also played basketball during her collegiate career.

Jen Mead
Personal information
Full name Jennifer Kim Mead[1]
Date of birth (1972-06-13) June 13, 1972 (age 52)[2]
Place of birth Norwood, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Position(s) Goalkeeper[2]
Youth career
0000–1990 Bridgewater-Raynham Trojans
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991–1993 Providence Friars
1994 George Mason Patriots
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–1998 Boston Renegades
2001 Bay Area CyberRays 1 (0)
International career
United States U17
1993–1997 United States 6 (0)
Managerial career
Colorado College Tigers (assistant)
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (assistant)
1997–199? Newton North Tigers
2000 Louisville Cardinals (assistant)
2001 Boston College Eagles (assistant)
Walpole Rebels
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Soccer career

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Mead played for the Bridgewater-Raynham Trojans soccer team in high school, where she was a league MVP and named to the All-New England and All-State selections.[3] In college, she played for the Providence Friars from 1991 to 1993, having not participated in her freshman season as she was preoccupied with basketball, the main focus of her athletic scholarship to attend the school. She helped the team win the 1993 Big East championship, where she was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament. She was named in the All-New England selection while playing for the Friars, and was a second-team All-American.[4] While at Providence, she also set a school record for fewest goals allowed in a season (12) in 1991.[5]

In 1993, Mead was awarded the Honda Inspiration Award, which is given to a collegiate athlete "who has overcome hardship and was able to return to play at the collegiate level". She overcame a heart issue requiring open-heart surgery, and rebounded to become an All-American soccer player.[6][7][8]

After graduating from Providence, she went to play for the George Mason Patriots during the 1994 season. That season she was a Soccer America First-Team All-American,[9] an All-Region selection, was named the ISAA Goalkeeper of the Year, and was included in the All-CAA selection. With her season at George Mason, she set a school record for the best save percentage (.904) in a career or a season, the fewest goals against average (0.54) in a career or a season, and the most shutouts (10) in a season.[10]

Mead appeared for U.S. under-17 national team.[3] She made her international debut for the United States on June 21, 1993, in a friendly match against Canada. In total, she made six appearances for the U.S., earning her final cap on December 13, 1997, in a friendly match against Brazil.[2]

In club soccer, Mead played for the Boston Renegades.[11] In 2001, she joined the Bay Area CyberRays for the inaugural WUSA season, though a knee injury only allowed her to make one appearance during the season.[1][12] She retired from her playing career at the end of the season.[13]

Mead later began coaching, working as an assistant for the Colorado College Tigers, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Louisville Cardinals,[14] and Boston College Eagles.[11] She also worked as the head coach of the Newton North Tigers and Walpole Rebels high school girls' teams.[15][16]

Basketball career

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Mead played as a center in basketball.[17] She played for the Bridgewater-Raynham Trojans in high school, with The Boston Globe selecting her as one of the top twelve high school basketball players as a junior. As a senior she helped the school win the state championship, and was named in the All-Scholastic team and the State Basketball Player of the Year by The Boston Globe.[15] In college, she played for the Providence Friars from 1990 to 1993. She was included in the Big East All-Freshman Team in 1991.[18]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
1990–91 Providence 32 - - 44.6 0.0 60.6 5.8 1.3 0.9 0.1 - 9.3
1991–92 Providence 12 - - 54.0 0.0 74.2 8.9 2.3 1.5 0.3 - 19.7
1992–93 Providence 28 - - 38.8 30.0 54.7 7.4 1.6 1.1 0.2 - 10.1
1993–94 Providence 2 - - 47.4 0.0 75.0 6.5 0.5 1.5 0.5 - 12.0
Career 74 - - 44.5 26.3 63.4 7.0 1.5 1.1 0.2 - 11.4
Statistics retrieved from Sports-Reference.[19]

Personal life

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Mead was born in Norwood, Massachusetts,[1] but grew up in Raynham.[17] She attended Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School, where she also played softball. She graduated from Providence College.[15] Mead received a master's degree in exercise science from Springfield College, where she also taught and later earned a doctorate.[16] She currently works as an associate professor at Bridgewater State University.[20] She resides in Fairhaven with her wife and two children.[21]

Career statistics

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International

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United States[2]
Year Apps Goals
1993 2 0
1994 1 0
1997 3 0
Total 6 0

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Jennifer Mead". Women's United Soccer Association. 2001. Archived from the original on October 7, 2001. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e "2019 U.S. Women's National Team Media Guide" (PDF). United States Soccer Federation. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "The 1989 Bost Globe All-Scholastic girls' soccer team". The Boston Globe. December 19, 1989. p. 40. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  4. ^ Harber, Paul (December 20, 1992). "Two-sport all-star comes back from heart surgery". The Boston Globe. p. South 13. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  5. ^ "2018 Providence Friars Women's Soccer" (PDF). Providence Friars. 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  6. ^ Ambrose, Annica (May 5, 1994). "Up Close: With Jen Mead – Friar Goalie Headed to Olympic Games" (PDF). The Cowl. Vol. 58, no. 26. p. 23. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  7. ^ "Awards Overview: The Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program". Collegiate Women Sports Awards. Archived from the original on May 23, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  8. ^ "Past Inspiration Award Winners". Collegiate Women Sports Awards. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  9. ^ "Women's Soccer Awards" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  10. ^ "George Mason 2019 Women's Soccer Information Guide" (PDF). George Mason Patriots. July 17, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Bickelhaupt, Susan (August 25, 2001). "Walsh won't hold grudge". The Boston Globe. p. G7. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  12. ^ "WUSA Notes: Chastain suspended, Fawcett has another girl". Soccer America. June 5, 2001. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  13. ^ Chapin, Dwight (November 23, 2001). "Quakes, CyberRays say goodbye to players". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  14. ^ "Women's Soccer Assistant Mead To Pursue Professional Career". Louisville Cardinals. February 22, 2001. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  15. ^ a b c Harber, Paul (May 31, 1998). "Pro soccer keeps Jen Mead in the game". The Boston Globe. Raynham, Massachusetts. p. South 25. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Mead steps in as WHS girls' soccer coach". Wicked Local. September 4, 2009. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  17. ^ a b McCorry, Steve (December 10, 1991). "Women's Basketball: Lady Friars Ready to Run and Gun" (PDF). The Cowl. Vol. 56, no. 11. p. 5. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  18. ^ "Providence College Friars 2018–19 Women's Basketball History, Records & Awards" (PDF). Providence Friars. 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  19. ^ "Jen Mead College Stats". Sports-Reference. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  20. ^ "Profile: Jennifer Mead, Massachusetts – 2017". New Agenda: Northeast. 2017. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  21. ^ "Athletic Training Program: Faculty". Bridgewater State University. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.