Melissa Maizels

Melissa Maizels
Personal information
Full name Melissa Ashleigh Maizels
Date of birth (1993-05-10) 10 May 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth Melbourne, Australia
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2014 Melbourne Victory 0 (0)
2014–2016 Canberra United 4 (0)
2016–2018 Perth Glory 18 (0)
2018–2019 Canberra United 0 (0)
2019–2022 Melbourne Victory 1 (0)
2022–2023 Melbourne Victory 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 January 2023

Melissa Maizels (born 10 May 1993) is an Australian soccer goalkeeper who last played for Australian A-League Women team Melbourne Victory. She previously played for Perth Glory and Canberra United.[1]

Early life

Maizels was born in Melbourne, Australia, and is Jewish.[2] Her great, great, great-grandfather was the Chief Rabbi of Łódź.[3]

She began playing soccer at the age of nine.[4] She represented Victoria four times for futsal and soccer, and competed in national tournaments at the Australian Institute of Sport (from which she earned her coaching UEFA B Licence) as well as in Canberra and Perth.[4] In 2009, she helped the futsal team make the grand final.[4][5]

Playing career

She played at Melbourne Victory from 2012 to 2014.[3]

Canberra United, 2014–2016

In July 2014, Maizels signed with Canberra United.[6] She made her debut for the club during a match against Adelaide United after the team's starting goalkeeper Chantel Jones was injured.[7][8][9]

Perth Glory, 2016–2018

Maizels joined Perth Glory for the 2016–17 W-League season. She suffered a serious hand injury, which ended her season after only six games.[5] Maizels returned for the 2017–18 W-League season as Perth's number one keeper and played every minute of the season.[10]

Canberra United, 2018–2019

Maizels signed with Canberra United for the 2018–19 W-League, returning to the club she had played for from 2014 to 2016.[11]

Melbourne Victory, 2019–2022

Maizels joined Melbourne Victory ahead of the 2019–20 W-League season.[12] Ahead of the 2022–23 A-League Women season, she was released by the club.[13] At the end of 2022, while working as an assistant coach with Melbourne Victory, Maizels was re-signed temporarily as an injury replacement due to an injury to back-up keeper Miranda Templeman.[14] She was included on the bench for the match against Canberra United but was not used,[15] and the following week Templeman returned ending Maizel's contract.[16]

International career

She competed for Team Australia at the 2017 Maccabiah Games in Israel.[3][17]

Honors and awards

with Canberra United
with Melbourne Victory
  • W-League runner-up: 2012–13, 2013–14
with Perth Glory

See also

References

  1. ^ "Player profile – Melissa Maizels". Melbourne Victory FC. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  2. ^ Grunstein, Joel (26 June 2017). "Incredible Maccabiah selection miracle". Maccabi Australia.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ a b c "A Maccabiah miracle". The Australian Jewish News. 6 July 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "Melissa Maizels". Soccer Pups. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Perth Glory goalkeeper's inspiring comeback". W-League.com.au. Football Australia. 3 January 2018.
  6. ^ "Canberra United sign Chantel Jones, goalkeepers on the move". The Women's Game. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  7. ^ Gaskin, Lee (19 October 2014). "Canberra United's title hopes in freefall after Adelaide United stunner". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  8. ^ "Canberra show signs of improvement in win over Western Sydney". The Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 29 November 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Wanderers repeat history against Canberra". Western Sydney Wanderers. 28 November 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  10. ^ "M.Maizels". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  11. ^ "All of the Westfield W-League signings for 2018/19 so far". W-League.com.au. Football Australia. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  12. ^ "Victory in safe hands for 2019/20". Melbourne Victory. 24 October 2019.
  13. ^ Downes, Cheryl (13 November 2022). "2022-23 Season Preview – Melbourne Victory". Beyond90.
  14. ^ Harrington, Anna (31 December 2022). "Victory coach's reaction to Dumont's Liberty A-League heroics". Keep Up. They also had to re-sign goalkeeping assistant coach Melissa Maizels on an injury replacement deal after back-up Miranda Templeman had a spinal injury scare at training on Friday...
  15. ^ "Melbourne Victory vs Canberra United". Keep Up. 31 December 2022.
  16. ^ "Women's Match Preview: Round 9 v Glory". Melbourne Victory. 5 January 2023. In: 20. Miranda TEMPLEMAN (returns from injury)
  17. ^ Desiatnik, Shane (11 November 2019). "Maizels moves home to Victory". The Australian Jewish News.