Bella Bixby

Annabella Madeleine Bixby (née Geist; born November 20, 1995) is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Portland Thorns FC.[2]

Bella Bixby
Bixby in 2022
Personal information
Full name Annabella Madeleine Bixby
Birth name Annabella Madeleine Geist[1]
Date of birth (1995-11-20) November 20, 1995
Place of birth Milwaukie, Oregon, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Portland Thorns
Number 1
Youth career
Lake Oswego Soccer Club
OSSA
2013 Crossfire Oregon
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2017 Oregon State Beavers 72 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018 Portland Thorns 0 (0)
2018–2019 1. FFC Frankfurt 0 (0)
2019– Portland Thorns 44 (1)
International career
2017–2018 United States U23
Managerial career
2022– Rex Putnam HS Kingsmen
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of April 29, 2023

Early life

Bixby attended Rex Putnam High School in Milwaukie, Oregon.[3][4][5] Bixby signed a letter of intent to play at Oregon State University on February 5, 2014.[6]

Bixby played youth soccer for Olympic Development Program teams in Oregon, and her club teams won Oregon Premier League State Cup championships in 2009, 2011, and 2012.[6][7] These clubs included Lake Oswego Soccer Club for two years, three years with OSSA, and one year with Crossfire Oregon.[8]

Bixby also played for Putnam High School's varsity gridiron football team as a placekicker, completing 89 of 96 extra point attempts and two of three field goals, including a 40-yard game-tying field goal in the final seconds of a 2013 game.[6][9] Her performances in 2013 and 2014 led to the Northwest Oregon Conference naming her both the top girls' soccer goalkeeper and top gridiron football extra point attempt kicker.[6]

Oregon State University

Bixby attended Oregon State University and played 72 games for its women's soccer team. She posted 18 clean sheets while setting a university record for most career saves with 394.[5][7][10][11]

Club career

Prior to the 2018 NWSL College Draft, Portland Thorns FC coach Mark Parsons asked Bixby to register for the draft, in which Portland traded for the 29th overall pick and selected her.[5][12]

Portland Thorns FC, 2018–
Bixby makes a save in the 2022 NWSL Championship en-route to posting a clean sheet.

Bixby was injured for most of her first year with Portland and was forced to miss most of the year after suffering a wrist injury while on loan in Germany.[12] She then spent part of 2019 off on loan in Israel.[13][14]

Bixby made her professional debut for the Thorns on June 27, 2020, in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, a 2–1 loss to the North Carolina Courage.[7][2][15] After posting two clean sheets in her first four games for the club, she suffered an ACL injury that forced her to miss the rest of the Challenge Cup.[7][16][5]

In July 2021, Bixby set the NWSL record for most shutout minutes to start an NWSL regular-season career, starting the 2021 NWSL season with 269 consecutive shutout minutes across her first three games, becoming the third goalkeeper in the league's history to post back-to-back clean sheets in their regular season debuts.[17] She won the Save of the Week Award for the first week of August 2021.[18]

Prior to the 2022 season, Thorns FC signed Bixby to a three-year contract extension.[5] In 2022, Bixby registered a total of 74 saves and 11 shutouts in 26 appearances across the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup, regular season, and playoffs, including a 2–0 shutout win against Kansas City Current in the 2022 NWSL championship match. Her 10 regular- and post-season shutouts led all NWSL goalkeepers, and her 0.96 average goals conceded per match trailed only Phallon Tullis-Joyce.[19][20][21]

On April 29, 2023, Bixby scored the game-tying goal in stoppage time in a home match against Angel City FC, securing a 3–3 draw. It was just the second goal ever scored by a keeper in NWSL history (the first was also scored by a Thorns keeper, Michelle Betos, in 2015).[22]

1. FFC Frankfurt, 2018

On August 31, 2018, Thorns FC announced that the club had loaned Bixby to Frauen Bundesliga club 1. FFC Frankfurt.[23] She did not appear for Frankfurt before suffering a right wrist injury, and on October 16, 2018, the German club announced that Bixby would return from her loan to Portland early for recovery.[24]

Coaching career

In 2022, Bixby returned to Rex Putnam High School to serve as the girls' varsity soccer team's head coach.[5][25]

Activism

Bixby has been outspoken on issues within soccer, calling out inconsistent media coverage of the NWSL[26] and the quality of the NWSL's broadcast product.[27] In early July 2021, she called for the league to drop the "W" from its name, stating that it was both non-inclusive and that it promoted the misconception that the women's side of the game was abnormal.[28] In late-July 2021, she called on Racing Louisville FC to end the light show at Lynn Family Stadium played after Louisville scored, stating that "players reported feeling physically ill. I am someone who has sensory integration issues & had to put a towel over my eyes and pray to god I didn't have a meltdown seconds before the 2nd half."[29]

Bixby took part in the NWSL Players Association's #NoMoreSideHustles campaign for better compensation for women's football players, revealing that she had to have a second job for Uber for a year while playing in the NWSL.[30] The NWSL Players Association also named Bixby one of the Thorns' player representatives for 2022.[31]

Five days prior to Thorns FC's November 14 match against Chicago Red Stars in the 2021 NWSL playoff semifinals, Bixby's father Dean died by suicide. Bixby publicly spoke out about the loss in order to raise awareness.[5]

Personal life

In December 2018, Bixby married her husband Elliot and began using her married name.[4]

Bixby is on the autism spectrum.[32]

While playing, Bixby continues to study toward a master's degree in fish and wildlife administration at Oregon State.

Honors

Portland Thorns FC

References
  1. "Matchcenter: FFC 1:4 TSG (2. Spieltag – 23.09.2018)" [Match center: FFC 1–4 TSG (Matchday 2 – September 23, 2018)] (in German). TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. September 23, 2018. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  2. Bella Bixby at Soccerway
  3. Clarke, Ryan (May 6, 2022). "For Portland Thorns goalkeeper and hometown player Bella Bixby, soccer provides stability amid loss". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  4. Seiler, Margaret (August 20, 2021). "Portland Thorns' Bella Bixby Talks Home Teams and Representation". Portland Monthly. No. Fall 2021. SagaCity Media. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  5. Danzer, Paul (August 7, 2022). "Portland Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby embraces growth through grief". Portland Tribune. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  6. Denny, John (February 12, 2014). "Putnams Bella Geist to compete with the best in collegiate soccer". Clackamas Review. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  7. Yang, Steph (October 22, 2021). "What American women's soccer can learn from the development of Portland Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby". The Athletic. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  8. "Bella Bixby – Women's Soccer – Oregon State University Athletics". Oregon State Beavers. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  9. Daschel, Nick (September 23, 2013). "Football: Putnam's Annabella Geist continues her remarkable football career with a game-tying 40-yard field goal". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  10. "How former OSU goalkeeper Bella Bixby stayed ready for her Portland Thorns debut". NBC Sports Northwest. July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  11. "Bella Bixby". Portland Timbers. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  12. Cohen, Matt (July 16, 2020). "After years of injuries and growth, Portland Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby has emerged as a breakout star of the NWSL Challenge Cup". The Oregonian.
  13. Farley, Richard (February 27, 2020). "Thorns FC's Bella Bixby on her loan time in Israel, new puppy and more | Breaking Lines | Feb. 27, 2020" (Podcast). Portland Timbers. Retrieved July 27, 2022 – via Libsyn.
  14. Farley, Richard (December 20, 2019). "Roster Check | Thorns FC Goalkeepers" (Press release). Portland Timbers. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  15. Denney, Jarrid (July 4, 2020). "Bella Bixby hopes to use her platform for positive change as she steps up for Portland Thorns". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  16. Odom, Joel (July 18, 2020). "Portland Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby says she has ACL injury". The Oregonian.
  17. Hruby, Emma (July 19, 2021). "Thorns' Bella Bixby breaks record for shutout minutes begin NWSL career". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  18. National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (August 4, 2021). "Look Ma, One Hand 🖐️This amazing @bellageist stop is this week's @Verizon Save of the Week winner 👏" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. "Stats – Goalkeepers". National Women's Soccer League. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  20. "Stats – Goalkeepers". National Women's Soccer League. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  21. Azzi, Alex (October 30, 2022). "Portland Thorns win 2022 NWSL Championship, MVP Smith scores game winner". On Her Turf. NBC Sports. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  22. Sepich, Scott (April 29, 2023). "Goalkeeper Bella Bixby's goal rescues 3–3 draw for Portland Thorns in wild finish". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  23. "Bella Geist to go on loan with FFC Frankfurt". Stumptown Footy. August 31, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  24. "Verletzte Torhüterin Geist verlässt 1. FFC Frankfurt wieder". ran (in German). October 16, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  25. Dieckhoff, Andy (September 30, 2022). "Putnam junior Hailey Patlan kicking it up in soccer and football". Lake Oswego Review. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  26. Gaydos, Ryan (August 11, 2020). "Portland Thorns' Bella Bixby reminds followers NWSL pulled off season first amid coronavirus: 'This is getting really old'". Fox News. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  27. Strauss, Ben (July 27, 2021). "As NWSL gets more airtime, broadcasts struggle to keep pace". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  28. Weldon, Shelby (July 9, 2021). "Goaltender Bella Bixby to the NWSL: Drop the 'W'". Outsports.
  29. Gardner, Hayes (July 28, 2021). "Blinding lights? Why Lynn Family Stadium's light show is generating controversy". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  30. Hruby, Emma (July 23, 2021). "Jess McDonald, Bella Bixby share economic realities of NWSL". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  31. NWSL Players Association [@nwsl_players] (July 22, 2022). "The NWSLPA announces its 2022 Officers and Player Representatives 👏" (Tweet). Retrieved July 27, 2022 – via Twitter.
  32. "Thorns' Bella Bixby says Houston's, Louisville's light shows need to go". July 25, 2021.
  33. Snipes, Tyler (August 22, 2021). "The Portland Thorns are WICC Champions!". International Champions Cup.
  34. National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (September 15, 2021). "Bella's Big Week 😎" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  35. National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (June 22, 2022). "Alyssa Naeher @AlyssaNaeher (@chicagoredstars) DiDi Haračić @DIdeeds (@weareangelcity) Belly Bixby @bellageist (@ThornsFC) Erin McLeod @erinmcleod18 (@ORLPride)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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