Victoria Pickett

Victoria Pickett
Pickett with the North Carolina Courage in 2024
Personal information
Full name Victoria Serena Pickett[1]
Date of birth (1996-08-12) August 12, 1996 (age 28)
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

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.

Early life

Pickett 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

She 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

Aurora FC, 2017

In 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

Pickett 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

On 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–

On 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

When 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

  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ Victoria Pickett at the Canadian Soccer Association
  3. ^ Ramsey, Janis (July 30, 2014). "Barrie teen hits world centre stage". Barrie Advance.
  4. ^ "Victoria Pickett - 2015 - Athlete of the Year". Barrie Sports Hall of Fame.
  5. ^ "3 Canadians among semifinalists for U.S. college soccer award". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  6. ^ Pickett, Victoria (June 9, 2021). "Living the Dream". Our Game Magazine.
  7. ^ "Victoria Pickett | Women's Soccer". Wisconsin Badgers. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  8. ^ "Match Recap: Aurora FC 1 - 3 West Ottawa Soccer Club". League1 Ontario. May 22, 2017.
  9. ^ "Victoria Pickett 2017 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  10. ^ Harrison, AJ (January 13, 2021). "Pickett drafted by Kansas City in NWSL Draft". Wisconsin Badgers.
  11. ^ "KC NWSL Draft Picks Victoria Pickett and Addie McCain have agreed to terms with the team". National Women's Soccer League. March 3, 2021.
  12. ^ "Canadian Victoria Pickett leads Kansas City to historic NWSL win". CBC Sports. August 15, 2021.
  13. ^ "Canadians Sheridan, Pickett up for NWSL annual awards". TSN. November 5, 2021.
  14. ^ Lara, Cindy (November 6, 2021). "ICYMI: Victoria Pickett nominated for 2021 NWSL Rookie of the Year". The Blue Testament.
  15. ^ Dambach, Marisa (August 23, 2022). "NJ/NY Gotham FC acquires Canadian international Victoria Pickett". Jersey Sporting News.
  16. ^ "Courage acquire midfielder Victoria Pickett from Gotham FC" (Press release). North Carolina Courage. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  17. ^ "Canada's Pickett scores in debut with Courage, leading to draw against Thorns". CBC Sports. May 6, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  18. ^ "Victoria Pickett - 2015 - Athlete of the Year". Barrie Sports Hall of Fame Society. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  19. ^ "CONCACAF U-20 women's championship: Canada clinches World Cup berth". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ Prusina, Sandra. "Pan Am soccer offers glimpse of Canada's future". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved December 7, 2019.