Margaret Isabel Graham (born July 10, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Duke Blue Devils, where she was named the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Midfielder of the Year and first-team All-American in her graduate season.
.jpg) Graham with Duke in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Margaret Isabel Graham[1] | ||
| Date of birth | July 10, 2002 | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Houston Dash | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2024 | Duke Blue Devils | 101 | (22) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2025– | Houston Dash | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2018 | United States U-16 | ||
| 2020 | United States U-18 | 3 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early life and college career
editGraham grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, one of two daughters born to Chris and Marie Graham.[2] She is of Cuban descent.[3] Her father rowed crew at Cornell, and her older sister, Delaney, played soccer alongside her at Duke. She played attended the Westminster Schools, where she played multiple sports for one or two seasons each, including soccer, basketball, track, and cross country, in which she won a state championship. She played DA club soccer for NTH Tophat, which she captained for four years. She appeared in friendlies for the United States youth national team at the under-16 and under-18 level, scoring against China U18 in 2020.[2]
Duke Blue Devils
editGraham made 21 appearances (10 starts) for the Duke Blue Devils as a freshman in 2020, a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She started all three games in the NCAA tournament, assisting Sophie Jones's golden goal against Arizona State in the second round and making her penalty kick a quarterfinal shootout loss to Florida State. She appeared in 20 games (4 starts) in her sophomore season. She provided the winning assist to her sister in a 1–0 win against Memphis in the second round of the NCAA tournament as Duke returned the quarterfinals, falling to Santa Clara.[2][4]
Graham played a bigger role in her junior season in 2022, making 22 appearances (20 starts) and scoring 4 goals with 6 assists, with all of her assists in conference play. In the semifinals of the ACC tournament, she was sent off with a straight red card after showing two middle fingers to her North Carolina opponent; Duke lost on penalties after a 0–0 draw. After sitting out the opening round of the NCAA tournament, she started three games as Duke returned to the national quarterfinals, where they lost 3–2 to Alabama in overtime.[2][5] In her senior year, she started 16 games and scored one goal with one assist in a down season for Duke, who failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament.[2][6]
Graham returned for a fifth season in 2024, using her extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the pandemic. She started 22 games, led the team with 14 goals (more than doubling her career total), and added 5 assists. She scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against North Carolina during non-conference play, which marked Duke's first-ever home win against the Tar Heels, and she scored Duke's third goal in a 3–2 win against North Carolina during the ACC regular season.[2][7] She scored a hat trick and assisted in a 4–1 away win against Stanford as Duke went undefeated in conference play to claim the ACC regular-season title. In the NCAA tournament, she scored two goals in each of the first two games as Duke reached the semifinals, where they lost 3–0 to North Carolina. After the 2024 season, she was named first-team All-ACC, the ACC Midfielder of the Year, and first-team All-American. She was one of three Duke players to make more than 100 career appearances alongside her sister and Mackenzie Pluck.[2][8]
Club career
editHouston Dash
editThe Houston Dash announced on January 21, 2025, that they had signed Graham to a three-year contract. She was the club's first college signing after the abolition of the college draft.[9]
Honors and awards
editDuke Blue Devils
- ACC regular-season champions: 2024
Individual
- First-team All-American: 2024
- First-team All-ACC: 2024
- ACC Midfielder of the Year: 2024
References
edit- ^ "Duke University Commencement" (PDF). 2024. p. 43. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Maggie Graham". Duke Blue Devils. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ Pruchniewski, Morgan (October 11, 2023). "Hispanic Heritage Month – The Grahams Reconnect with Their Heritage". Duke Blue Devils. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
- ^ Sheehy, Mackenzie (August 17, 2023). "Even after their sisters left, Duke women's soccer is still a family affair for Maggie Graham and Emily Royson". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ Hruby, Emma (November 5, 2022). "Duke player's middle fingers add to odd women's soccer trend". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ Swanson, Shelby (November 1, 2024). "A rise to the top: Inside Duke women's soccer's remarkable run to No. 1 in the NCAA". The News & Observer. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ Schwabe, Colton (September 13, 2024). "Blue Devil of the Week: Maggie Graham scores game-winner to lead Duke women's soccer against No. 2 North Carolina". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ "Women's Division I Postseason Top 100". TopDrawerSoccer. December 18, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ "Houston Dash Sign Duke University Midfielder Maggie Graham". Houston Dash. January 21, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
External links
edit- Maggie Graham at Soccerway.com
