Kelly Schmedes is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soccer forward who last played for Boston Breakers of
Women's Professional SoccerWomen'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...
, and was a member of the
United States women's national soccer teamThe United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
.
Early life and university
Schmedes attended
Permian High SchoolPermian High School is a public high school located in Odessa, Texas and is part of the Ector County Independent School District. It was the subject of the book Friday Night Lights which in turn inspired a movie and TV series of the same name.-History:...
in
OdessaOdessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
,
TexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. She was recruited by, and eventually enrolled in, the
University of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. While there, Schmedes played for the Texas Longhorns women's soccer team. She was a four-time All-
Big 12The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
First Team selection, in addition to being a three-time
Hermann TrophyThe Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:...
nominee and two-time NSCAA All-American. At the conclusion of her career with Texas, Schmedes was the all-time leader in points (129), assists (41), game-winning goals (13) and games started (84) for the university.
Professional club
After graduating from Texas, Schmedes played for
W-LeagueThe USL W-League is a national women's soccer league in the United States on the 2nd level of women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the Women's Premier Soccer League and below Women's Professional Soccer....
side
Charlotte Lady EaglesCharlotte Lady Eagles is an American women’s soccer team, founded in 2003. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada...
in 2005. She appeared in 8 games (679 minutes) and scored 11 goals with an assist.
Her stay in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was short lived as Schmedes moved abroad to play for
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's
KIF Örebro DFFKIF Örebro DFF is a football club from Örebro, Sweden. They play in the highest level of women's soccer leagues in Sweden, the Damallsvenskan...
in 2006.
2007 saw Schmedes return to
Charlotte Lady EaglesCharlotte Lady Eagles is an American women’s soccer team, founded in 2003. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada...
, where she appeared in a further 12 games (903 minutes), and tallied 7 goals and 6 assists. 2008 saw more of the same with Schmedes playing in 13 games (1149 minutes). She scored 14 goals with 6 assists. Throughout her three years with the club, Schmedes ranks 3rd in goals and 4th in assists.
With the return of top-flight women's soccer in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in
Women's Professional SoccerWomen'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...
, teams were keen to obtain Schmedes' playing rights. She was selected in the 6th round of the
2009 WPS DraftThe 2009 WPS College Draft took place on January 16, 2009. It was the first college draft held by Women's Professional Soccer to assign the WPS rights of college players to the American-based teams.-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Round 5:...
by Boston Breakers. In the inaugural
2009 Women's Professional Soccer seasonThe 2009 Women's Professional Soccer season served as the inaugural season for WPS, the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States...
, she appeared in 17 games (10 starts, 1033 total minutes) and scored 1 goal and 1 assist.
Following the conclusion of the 2009 season, Schmedes was drafted by expansion club Philadelphia Independence in the
2009 WPS Expansion DraftThe 2009 WPS Expansion Draft was a special draft for the Women's Professional Soccer teams Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence taking place on September 15, 2009. Each expansion team made 9 selections from the existing seven WPS teams.-Format:...
but did not make the final roster.
International
Schmedes is the all-time leader in international goals scored (31) for the
United States U-20 women's national soccer teamThe United States U-20 women's national soccer team is a youth soccer team operated under the auspices of U.S. Soccer. Its primary role is the development of players in preparation for the full Women's National Team. The team's most recent major tournament was the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World...
. As Kelly Wilson, she scored nine goals in five games at the
2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World ChampionshipThe 2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship was held from August 17 to September 1. It was the first sanctioned youth tournament for women put together by FIFA. The tournament was hosted by Canada. FIFA granted the tournament to Canada in March 2001. Three cities hosted the tournament,...
in
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, becoming the second-highest scoring player in the tournament and winning the Bronze Ball and Silver Shoe awards.
Schmedes has only appeared twice for the
United States national teamThe United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
, at the 2002 and 2005
Algarve CupThe Algarve Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's football . Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious women's football events, alongside the Women's World Cup and Women's Olympic Football...
s, scoring her only international goal against
EnglandThe England women's national football team represents England in international women's football. The side has been quite successful of late, qualifying for three World Cups, 1995, 2007 and 2011...
in 2002.
External links