Michelle Alozie

Michelle Chinwendu Alozie (born 28 April 1997) is an American-born Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward for National Women's Soccer League team Houston Dash and the Nigeria women's national team

Michelle Alozie
Personal information
Full name Michelle Chinwendu Alozie[1]
Date of birth (1997-04-28) 28 April 1997[1]
Place of birth Apple Valley, California, United States[1]
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward / Defender
Team information
Current team
 Houston Dash
Number 22
Youth career
2011–2014 Legends FC
2011–2014 Granite Hills Cougars
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Yale Bulldogs 49 (19)
2019 Tennessee Volunteers 17 (3)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020 BIIK Kazygurt
2021– Houston Dash 31 (6)
International career‡
2021– Nigeria 23 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:03, 17 September 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 27 July 2023.[2]

Early life

Alozie was born and raised in Apple Valley, California, to Nigerian parents from Imo State Nigeria.[1] She attended the Granite Hills High School in her hometown.[3]

College career

Alozie attended Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, as an undergraduate and played football for the Yale Bulldogs. She suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament that ended her senior season and transferred as a graduate to the University of Tennessee to continue playing for the Tennessee Volunteers.[3][1][4]

Club career

Alozie registered for the 2019 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) College Draft but was not selected.[4]

BIIK Kazygurt

In January 2020, Alozie signed a contract with BIIK Kazygurt, the defending champions of the Kazakhstani women's football championship.[5] She trained and played for the team for three months before COVID-19 ended the season, and she returned to California.[4]

Houston Dash

Alozie joined the Houston Dash, where Alozie's childhood friend Ally Prisock was playing, as a preseason trialist without a contract in 2021. Dash assistant Twila Kilgore had previously recruited Alozie when Kilgore was head coach of the Pepperdine Waves. Alozie signed a national team replacement contract during the 2021 Houston Dash season, then signed a full contract for the remainder of the season in August 2021. In the 2022 season, Alozie made her first postseason start in the Dash's NWSL Playoffs appearance.[4]

In December 2022, Alozie signed a two-year contract extension with the Dash.[4]

International career

Alozie made her senior debut for Nigeria on 10 June 2021 as a 65th-minute substitution in a 0–1 friendly loss to Jamaica.[6] Alozie was named by national team manager Randy Waldrum, who had previously managed the Dash. Alozie, still a trialist with the Dash, had asked the team's then-manager James Clarkson to invite Waldrum to Dash practice on 8 June 2021, at which Waldrum named Alozie and Esther Okoronkwo to the roster against Jamaica two days later. Waldrum played Alozie at full-back out of necessity.[4]

On 16 June 2023, she was included in the 23-player Nigerian squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[7] She made her FIFA Women's World Cup debut on 21 July 2023 in a goalless draw against Canada.[8] She also played a vital role in Nigeria's 3–2 victory over co-hosts Australia 6 days later.[9] Eventually, she played every minute of the tournament for the Super Falcons with Nigeria losing only to England on penalties after a 0–0 draw, in a keenly contested round of 16 tie in Lang Park, Brisbane.[10]

Off-field medical career

Alozie obtained a Bachelors Degree in Molecular Biology from Yale University. She works part-time as a cancer research technician at the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas.[11]

References
  1. "Michelle Alozie - Soccer". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  2. "Michelle Alozie". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  3. "Michelle Alozie - 2018 - Women's Soccer". Yale University. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  4. Morgan, Bekki (13 June 2023). "From club trialist to the World Cup: Michelle Alozie's 'Hail Mary' is about to pay off". The Equalizer. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  5. "Michelle Alozie inks deal with BIIK Kazygurt". The Daily Beacon. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  6. "Match Report of Jamaica vs Nigeria - 2021-06-10 - FIFA Friendlies - Women". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  7. Ryan Dabbs (14 June 2023). "Nigeria Women's World Cup 2023 squad: most recent call ups". fourfourtwo.com. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  8. "Nigeria 0–0 Canada". The Guardian. 21 July 2023.
  9. "Women's World Cup Update (Full Time): Australia 2-3 Nigeria". Channels TV. 27 July 2023.
  10. "England vs Nigeria 4-2 penalties: Women's World Cup 2023 – as it happened". Al Jazeera. 7 August 2023.
  11. Adam Winkler (23 September 2022). "In the lab: Houston Dash's Michelle Alozie has 'other' career at Texas Children's Hospital". abc13.com. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
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