Victoria Serena Pickett (born August 12, 1996) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Canada national team.
_061_(cropped).jpg) Pickett with the North Carolina Courage in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Victoria Serena Pickett[1] | ||
| Date of birth | August 12, 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Newmarket, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | North Carolina Courage | ||
| Number | 94 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2008 | Barrie SC | ||
| 2008–2015 | Glen Shields SC | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2020 | Wisconsin Badgers | 57 | (5) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017 | Aurora FC | 8 | (2) |
| 2021–2022 | Kansas City Current | 35 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 10 | (0) |
| 2023– | North Carolina Courage | 29 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012 | Canada U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2013–2016 | Canada U20 | 9 | (0) |
| 2015 | Canada U23 | 2 | (0) |
| 2021– | Canada | 3 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 2, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of July 15, 2022 | |||
Early life
editPickett started playing soccer at age four with Barrie SC.[2] When she was 13, she joined Glen Shields SC.[3] She was named the Barrie Sports Athlete of the Year in 2015.[4]
College career
editShe played college soccer for the Wisconsin Badgers. In 2018, Pickett made the women's semifinalist list for the Hermann Trophy, an annual award for college soccer players.[5] In 2019, she suffered a serious knee injury, tearing five ligaments, keeping her out of action until 2021.[6] Despite the knee injury in 2019, Pickett appeared in 57 games across her college career, scoring 5 goals and providing 11 assists.[7]
Club career
editAurora FC, 2017
editIn 2017, Pickett played for Aurora FC in League1 Ontario, scoring in her debut against West Ottawa SC.[8] She finished the season with two goals in eight appearances.[9]
Kansas City Current, 2021–2022
editPickett was drafted 15th overall by Kansas City in the 2021 NWSL Draft.[10] In March, she signed her first professional contract, signing a three-year contract with Kansas City.[11] She scored her first goal on August 14, 2021, to lead her team to a 1-0 victory over the OL Reign, for the franchise's first ever NWSL victory.[12] She was one of three finalists for NWSL Rookie of the Year in 2021.[13][14]
NJ/NY Gotham FC, 2022–2023
editOn August 22, 2022, the Kansas City Current traded Pickett to NJ/NY Gotham FC in exchange for $200,000 in allocation money and a first-round draft pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft.[15]
North Carolina Courage, 2023–
editOn April 27, 2023, NJ/NY Gotham FC traded Pickett to the North Carolina Courage in exchange for $200,000 in allocation money.[16] She scored her second NWSL regular-season goal on her debut for the Courage on May 6, 2023, in a 3–3 draw against the Portland Thorns.[17]
International career
editWhen Pickett was 15 years old, she entered the Canadian youth program. She participated in the Women's Under 17 Championships at the 2012 Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), where she helped Canada win a silver medal.[18]
In 2015, Pickett scored the deciding goal for Canada during the CONCACAF U-20 championship.[19]
Pickett played as a defender for Canada in the 2015 Pan Am Games.[20][21]
References
edit- ^ "FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Canada 2014 – List of Players: Canada" (PDF). FIFA. August 4, 2014. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 9, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ Victoria Pickett at the Canadian Soccer Association
- ^ Ramsey, Janis (July 30, 2014). "Barrie teen hits world centre stage". Barrie Advance.
- ^ "Victoria Pickett - 2015 - Athlete of the Year". Barrie Sports Hall of Fame.
- ^ "3 Canadians among semifinalists for U.S. college soccer award". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ Pickett, Victoria (June 9, 2021). "Living the Dream". Our Game Magazine.
- ^ "Victoria Pickett | Women's Soccer". Wisconsin Badgers. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ "Match Recap: Aurora FC 1 - 3 West Ottawa Soccer Club". League1 Ontario. May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Victoria Pickett 2017 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
- ^ Harrison, AJ (January 13, 2021). "Pickett drafted by Kansas City in NWSL Draft". Wisconsin Badgers.
- ^ "KC NWSL Draft Picks Victoria Pickett and Addie McCain have agreed to terms with the team". National Women's Soccer League. March 3, 2021.
- ^ "Canadian Victoria Pickett leads Kansas City to historic NWSL win". CBC Sports. August 15, 2021.
- ^ "Canadians Sheridan, Pickett up for NWSL annual awards". TSN. November 5, 2021.
- ^ Lara, Cindy (November 6, 2021). "ICYMI: Victoria Pickett nominated for 2021 NWSL Rookie of the Year". The Blue Testament.
- ^ Dambach, Marisa (August 23, 2022). "NJ/NY Gotham FC acquires Canadian international Victoria Pickett". Jersey Sporting News.
- ^ "Courage acquire midfielder Victoria Pickett from Gotham FC" (Press release). North Carolina Courage. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ "Canada's Pickett scores in debut with Courage, leading to draw against Thorns". CBC Sports. May 6, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ "Victoria Pickett - 2015 - Athlete of the Year". Barrie Sports Hall of Fame Society. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ "CONCACAF U-20 women's championship: Canada clinches World Cup berth". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ Faris, Nick. "Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games will be a preview of what the future holds for Canadian women's soccer". National Post. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ Prusina, Sandra. "Pan Am soccer offers glimpse of Canada's future". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved December 7, 2019.