Megan Montefusco
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Megan Leigh Montefusco | ||
Birth name | Megan Leigh Oyster[1] | ||
Date of birth | September 3, 1992 | ||
Place of birth | Naperville, Illinois, United States | ||
Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
Position(s) | Defender | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Orlando Pride | ||
Number | 5 | ||
Youth career | |||
1998–2011 | Windy City Pride | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2011–2014 | UCLA Bruins | 90 | (2) |
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2011 | Chicago Red Stars | ||
2015–2016 | Washington Spirit | 35 | (1) |
2015–2017 |
→ Newcastle Jets (loan) | 24 | (2) |
2017 | Boston Breakers | 23 | (0) |
2018–2019 |
Reign FC | 40 | (1) |
2020–2021 | Houston Dash | 21 | (0) |
2022– | Orlando Pride | 36 | (0) |
International career‡ | |||
2008 | United States U17 | ||
2011 | United States U20 | ||
2017 | United States | 2 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 15, 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of April 9, 2017 |
Megan Leigh Montefusco (née Oyster; born September 3, 1992) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Orlando Pride in the National Women's Soccer League. She has been capped internationally at senior level by the United States.
Montefusco has previously played for the
Early life
Raised in Naperville, Illinois, Montefusco attended Neuqua Valley High School where she led the soccer to team to a 24–0 record and first place national ranking.[1][2] A four-time all-state selection and three-time NSCAA Youth All-American, she was named All-American by both ESPN RISE and Parade magazines in 2010, and won Gatorade State Player of the Year for Illinois the following year.[1]
Montefusco played club soccer for Windy City Pride from 1998 to 2011 and was a member of the regional Olympic Development Program (ODP) for five years.[1] Prior to leaving for college, Montefusco played briefly for the Chicago Red Stars in the Women's Premier Soccer League in 2011.[3] Chicago topped the Midwest Conference North Division and reached the Championship final, eventually losing to Orange County Waves in extra-time 2–1.[4]
Collegiate career
Montefusco attended the
Club career
Washington Spirit, 2015–16
Montefusco was selected in the second round (13th overall) of the
Newcastle Jets (loans), 2015–17
On October 8, 2015, Montefusco joined
Boston Breakers, 2017
On November 17, 2016, it was announced that Montefusco had been acquired by the Boston Breakers via trade along with the No. 3 and No. 9 overall picks in the 2017 NWSL College Draft and the No. 2 spot in the Distribution Ranking Order in exchange for Kristie Mewis, Kassey Kallman and the No. 1 spot in the Distribution Ranking Order.[18] She appeared in 23 of 24 matches during the 2017 season, playing the full 90 minutes in each as Boston finished second bottom ahead of Washington on goal difference.[19]
Reign FC, 2018–19
After Boston Breakers folded in January 2018, Montefusco was selected by
Houston Dash, 2020–21
On February 3, 2020, Houston Dash acquired Montefusco in a trade with Reign FC along with Shea Groom and a second-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft in exchange for Sofia Huerta and Amber Brooks.[23] With the 2020 NWSL season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Montefusco eventually made her debut in the return to play replacement 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup tournament. She played in five games including the final as Houston beat the Chicago Red Stars 2–0 to claim the club's first trophy. Montefusco had missed the semifinal with fractured ribs but despite this, returned to the lineup and played the full 90 minutes in the final.[24] She played every minute of the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup and made a further 21 appearances during the regular season as Houston finished in seventh-place, missing the playoffs by one point.[25]
Orlando Pride, 2022–present
On January 28, 2022,
International career
Montefusco represented the United States at the under-16, under-18 and under-20 national team levels.[1] She received her first call-up to the United States senior team in March 2017 for a pair of friendlies against Russia.[27] She debuted on April 6 as a 68th-minute substitute for Kelley O'Hara in a 4–0 win before appearing again as a substitute in the next game. In total, Montefusco played 58 minutes for the USWNT.[28]
Personal life
Montefusco's mother, Cindy, played softball and volleyball at Northern Illinois University. Her cousin, Brittany Bock, also played soccer professionally, overlapping NWSL careers in 2015 although the two never appeared in the same game.[1]
On December 4, 2021, she married former professional Atlantic League and Frontier League baseball player Anthony Montefusco in a ceremony at Old Chicago Main Post Office.[29][30] He had proposed during a hot air balloon flight in Colorado in August 2020.[31]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 15 October 2023.[19]
Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Playoffs | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Washington Spirit | 2015 | NWSL | 20 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 21 | 1 | ||
2016 | 15 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | ||||
Total | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 1 | ||
Newcastle Jets (loan) | 2015–16 | W-League | 12 | 1 | — | — | — | 12 | 1 | |||
2016–17 | 12 | 1 | — | — | — | 12 | 1 | |||||
Total | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 | ||
Boston Breakers | 2017 | NWSL | 23 | 0 | — | — | — | 23 | 0 | |||
Reign FC
|
2018 | NWSL | 20 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 21 | 1 | ||
2019 | 20 | 0 | — | — | — | 20 | 0 | |||||
Total | 40 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 1 | ||
Houston Dash | 2020 | NWSL | — | 5 | 0 | — | 2[b] | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
2021 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 0 | ||||
Total | 21 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 0 | ||
Orlando Pride | 2022 | NWSL | 21 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 0 | ||
2023 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 19 | 1 | ||||
Total | 36 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 1 | ||
Career total | 179 | 4 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 203 | 5 |
International
- As of 9 April 2017
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
United States | 2017 | 2 | 0 |
Total | 2 | 0 |
Honors
UCLA Bruins
- Pac-12 Conference regular season: 2013, 2014
- 2013
Houston Dash
Individual
- Gatorade State Player of the Year (Illinois): 2011
- PFA W-League Team of the Season: 2016–17
See also
- List of people from Naperville, Illinois
- List of foreign W-League (Australia) players
- List of University of California, Los Angeles people
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Megan Oyster". UCLA. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- ^ Le Cren, Matt (July 21, 2015). "Megan Oyster and Washington Spirit to face Chicago Red Stars in NWSL". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
- ^ "Chicago Red Stars Bring In Nasenbenny, Oyster". boxscorenews.com. June 24, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
- ^ "Chicago Red Stars come up short in WPSL championship - Windy City Times News". Windy City Times. August 1, 2011.
- ^ "Bruins Down Rutgers, 1-0 in Home Opener". UCLA.
- ^ "UCLA wins its first NCAA women's soccer title". Los Angeles Times. December 8, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- ^ "UCLA Wins NCAA Soccer Title in OT". ESPN. December 9, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
- ^ "5 Burning Questions for the NCAA Women's Soccer Season". ESPN. August 21, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- ^ "UCLA's NCAA Tournament Run Ends with 2-1 Defeat Against Virginia". UCLA.
- ^ Yeo, Aubrey (January 21, 2015). "Bruins dominate 2015 NWSL draft with school-leading 6 picks". UCLA. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- ^ "Megan Oyster — Washington Spirit". Archived from the original on February 4, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- ^ Goff, Steven (September 10, 2015). "NWSL playoff preview: Ali Krieger to miss Washington Spirit match at Seattle". Washington Post. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
- ^ Pentz, Matt (September 13, 2015). "Seattle Reign shuts out Washington Spirit, 3–0, in NWSL semifinal". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
- ^ "NWSL Player Spotlight: Megan Oyster". WOW Sports. August 17, 2019.
- ^ "Western New York Flash win NWSL title on penalties after 124th-minute equalizer". The Guardian. October 10, 2016.
- ^ "Dydasco, Oyster, and Raso Loaned to Australian Teams". Washington Spirit. October 8, 2015.
- ^ "PFA Jetts W-League Team of the Season Unveiled". Professional Footballers Australia. February 8, 2017.
- ^ "Breakers acquire defender Megan Oyster, draft picks from Washington – Boston Breakers". Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
- ^ a b "Megan Montefusco - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
- ^ "Reign FC select four former Breakers in dispersal draft". Sounder At Heart. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ Cristobal, Jacob (September 15, 2018). "Seattle Reign FC season comes to an end with a 1-2 loss at Portland Thorns FC". Sounder At Heart.
- ^ Rantz, Susie (October 18, 2019). "Five things we want to see in Reign FC's semifinal". Sounder At Heart.
- ^ "Sofia Huerta and Amber Brooks acquired in tade with Dash". Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- ^ Lauletta, Dan (July 26, 2020). "The Dash's road to the NWSL Challenge Cup title started from the back". Equalizer Soccer.
- ^ Roepken, Corey (December 24, 2021). "Dash year in review: Great expectations but a disappointing finish". Houston Chronicle.
- ^ "Orlando Pride Acquires Defender Megan Montefusco, 2023 NWSL Draft Pick and Allocation Money". www.orlandocitysc.com.
- ^ "Oyster and Lavelle called up to USWNT before Russia friendlies". March 23, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ "M.Oyster". April 12, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ "Wedding website". The Knot.
- ^ "Anthony Montefusco Amateur, College & Independent Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Houston was a Perfect Engagement Shoot Location for Two Pro Athletes". Brides of Houston. April 29, 2021.
External links
- Megan Montefusco at Soccerway.com
- Megan Montefusco at Soccerdonna (in German)
- Megan Montefusco at FBref.com
- U.S. Soccer player profile
- Megan Montefusco at the National Women's Soccer League
- Washington Spirit player profile Archived February 4, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
- Boston Breakers player profile Archived January 31, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
- UCLA Bruins player profile