Margaret Purce

Margaret Melinda Williams-Purce (born September 18, 1995) is an American soccer player who plays as a forward for NJ/NY Gotham FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She previously played for Portland Thorns FC and the Boston Breakers. She played college soccer at Harvard University.

Margaret Purce
Purce in 2021
Personal information
Full name Margaret Melinda Williams-Purce[1]
Date of birth (1995-09-18) September 18, 1995
Place of birth Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Gotham FC
Number 23
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2016 Harvard Crimson 69 (42)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017 Boston Breakers 22 (1)
2018–2019 Portland Thorns 41 (8)
2020– Gotham FC 28 (12)
International career‡
2011–2012 United States U17
2013–2014 United States U20
2015–2018 United States U23
2019– United States 24 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of March 3, 2022
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of September 24, 2023

In 2020, she was elected to a seat on the Board of Overseers of Harvard University with the support of Harvard Forward, an alumni climate activism group.[2]

Early life

Margaret Purce, nicknamed Midge, is the daughter of James Purce, and has an older brother, JP Purce. She began playing soccer as a child, following in the footsteps of her brother.[3] She attended Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic High School in Olney, Maryland, near her hometown of Silver Spring, Maryland[4] where she was named Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year in 2012 and an NSCAA All-American in 2010 and 2011.[5]

College career

Harvard Crimson, 2013–2016

Purce scored 42 goals in 69 appearances with the Harvard University women's soccer team, and was named Ivy League Player of the Year twice, in 2015 and 2016, and a first-team NSCAA All-American in 2016. She majored in psychology at Harvard[5] in pursuit of a future law career.[3]

Club career
Purce with Portland in 2018

Boston Breakers, 2017

After playing for Harvard, Purce was drafted by the Boston Breakers with the 9th pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft.[6] She appeared in 22 games for Boston and scored one goal.[7]

Portland Thorns FC, 2018–2019

After the Breakers folded in January 2018,[8] the league held a dispersal draft for the Breakers' players; Purce was selected with the 4th pick by the Portland Thorns.[9]

Purce made 21 appearances and 16 starts for the Thorns in 2018, playing primarily as a right fullback. During the 2019 NWSL season, Purce moved into wide and central forward positions, and at one point scored 5 goals in a span of 5 games.[3]

NJ/NY Gotham FC, 2020–present

Purce was traded to Sky Blue FC in 2020.[10] During the 2021 NWSL season Purce played as a forward and scored nine goals, leading the team.[11] She came in second in the NWSL Golden Boot race and was named to the NWSL Best XI in the 2021 NWSL Awards alongside teammates Caprice Dydasco and Kailen Sheridan.[12] Purce was also a finalist for 2021 NWSL MVP following a breakout season.[13]

In January 2022, Purce signed a two year contract extension with NJ/NY Gotham FC.[14] Gotham FC head coach Scott Parkinson describes Purce as an "intelligent footballer that can defend from the front for 90 minutes and is a constant threat when we have the ball."[11]

International career

Youth USWNT (2011–2018)

Purce was called up to the United States women's national U17, U20, and U23 teams. She played in the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, made 4 appearances and 3 starts in the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup,[15][16] and scored goals for the US U20s against France in a friendly[17] and against Mexico in the 2014 CONCACAF U20 Championship.[18]

Senior USWNT (2017–)

Purce received her first call-up to the United States women's national team for the 2017 Tournament of Nations but she did not appear in any of the three games.[19] She received another call-up in June 2018 for a pair of friendlies against China PR, but she sustained an ankle injury in training camp and was ruled out for the two friendlies.[20]

In November 2019, in Vlatko Andonovski's first training camp as the new USWNT head coach, Purce received another call-up. Despite playing primarily as a forward throughout her career, Purce was brought in to camp to experiment as a defender. Purce played in her first match for the United States women's national team in their friendly against Costa Rica on November 10, 2019. She played the full 90 minutes of the game as right back, and had a cross deflected in for a Costa Rica own goal in the U.S. team's 6–0 victory.[21] Purce scored her first senior national team against Colombia on January 21, 2021.[22]

In November 2021, Purce was called up to her first senior national team camp as a forward.[23]

Personal life

Purce is currently serving a six-year term as a member of the Board of Overseers at Harvard University.[24] Purce co-founded and currently serves as a board member for the Black Women's Players Collective, a nonprofit with the goal of advancing opportunities for black girls in sport and beyond.[25][26]

On March 24, 2021, Purce made an appearance at the White House with USWNT teammate Megan Rapinoe to raise awareness of the importance of equal pay. In her remarks to introduce First Lady Jill Biden, Purce said, "You would never expect a flower to bloom without water," Purce said. "But women in sport who have been denied water, sunlight and soil are somehow expected to blossom. Invest in women, then let's talk again when you see the return."[27]

Career statistics

International
As of match played September 24, 2023
National TeamYearAppsGoalsAssists
United States 2019100
2020100
2021722
20221121
2023400
Total2443

Player statistics

International goals
Key (expand for notes on "international goals" and sorting)
Location Geographic location of the venue where the competition occurred
Sorted by country name first, then by city name
Lineup Start – played entire match
on minute (off player) – substituted on at the minute indicated, and player was substituted off at the same time

off minute (on player) – substituted off at the minute indicated, and player was substituted on at the same time
(c) – captain
Sorted by minutes played

Goal in match Goal of total goals by the player in the match
Sorted by total goals followed by goal number
# NumberOfGoals.goalNumber scored by the player in the match (alternate notation to Goal in match)
Min The minute in the match the goal was scored. For list that include caps, blank indicates played in the match but did not score a goal.
Assist/pass The ball was passed by the player, which assisted in scoring the goal. This column depends on the availability and source of this information.
penalty or pk Goal scored on penalty-kick which was awarded due to foul by opponent. (Goals scored in penalty-shoot-out, at the end of a tied match after extra-time, are not included.)
Score The match score after the goal was scored.
Sorted by goal difference, then by goal scored by the player's team
Result The final score.

Sorted by goal difference in the match, then by goal difference in penalty-shoot-out if it is taken, followed by goal scored by the player's team in the match, then by goal scored in the penalty-shoot-out. For matches with identical final scores, match ending in extra-time without penalty-shoot-out is a tougher match, therefore precede matches that ended in regulation

aet The score at the end of extra-time; the match was tied at the end of 90' regulation
pso Penalty-shoot-out score shown in parentheses; the match was tied at the end of extra-time
Light-purple background color – exhibition or closed door international friendly match
Light-yellow background color – match at an invitational tournament
Light-orange background color – Olympic women's football qualification match
Light-blue background color – FIFA women's world cup qualification match
Pink background color – Continental Games or regional tournament
Orange background color – Olympic women's football tournament
Blue background color – FIFA women's world cup final tournament
NOTE on background colors: Continental Games or regional tournament are sometimes also qualifier for World Cup or Olympics; information depends on the source such as the player's federation.

NOTE: some keys may not apply for a particular football player


Goals		 Cap Date Location Opponent Lineup Min Assist/pass Score Result Competition
1 3 2021-01-22[m 1] Orlando, Florida  Colombia {{{4}}}.

on 68' (off Williams)

 86' Carli Lloyd

6–0

6–0

 Friendly
2 7 2021-06-13[m 2]  Jamaica Start 22' Christen Press

3–0

4–0

3 14 2022-04-12[m 3] Chester, Pennsylvania  Uzbekistan {{{4}}}.

on 68' (off Smith)

 84' unassisted 8-0 9-0
4 16 2022-07-04[m 4] San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico  Haiti {{{4}}}.

on 46' (off Smith)

 84' 3-0 3-0 World Cup Qualifier: Group A

Honors and awards

United States

Individual

References
  1. "FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Canada 2014 – List of Players: USA" (PDF). FIFA. August 4, 2014. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 9, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  2. Rosenberg, John S. (August 21, 2020). "Insurgent Election". Harvard Magazine. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  3. Goldberg, Jamie (July 3, 2019). "Portland Thorns leading goal scorer Midge Purce craves even greater heights". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  4. "Campaigning For Change: Midge Purce & Danielle Slaton". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  5. "Margaret Purce – Harvard". GoCrimson.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  6. National Women's Soccer League. "Boston Breakers". www.nwslsoccer.com. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  7. "M.Purce". July 6, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  8. National Women's Soccer League (January 28, 2018). "NWSL announces Boston Breakers to cease operations". www.nwslsoccer.com. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  9. NWSL (January 30, 2018). "With the fourth pick in today's dispersal draft, @ThornsFC select Margaret Purce". @NWSL. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  10. The Equalizer Staff (January 8, 2020). "Thorns acquire No. 1 pick in 2020 draft, Raquel Rodriguez; ship Sonnett to Orlando, Purce to Sky Blue – Equalizer Soccer". Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  11. FC, Gotham (January 20, 2022). "NJ/NY Gotham FC Brings Back Leading Scorer, Re-Signing Margaret Purce". NJ/NY Gotham FC. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  12. "National Women's Soccer League Official Site | NWSL". www.nwslsoccer.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  13. "National Women's Soccer League Official Site | NWSL". www.nwslsoccer.com. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  14. "Midge Purce: "Powered by Football" star talks 2022 ambitions". Her Football Hub. February 24, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  15. James, Chelsea (July 21, 2014). "Five locals selected to national team for U20 Women's World Cup". Washington Post. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  16. "Purce '17 Named to United States U-23 Training Camp". GoCrimson.com. January 3, 2018. Archived from the original on September 6, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  17. Nguyen, Joe (June 16, 2014). "Mallory Pugh collects assist for U.S. U-20 in soccer game vs. France". The Denver Post. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  18. Borg, Simon (January 19, 2014). "USA beat Mexico again: Under-20 women's side down El Tri 4–0 for 2014 CONCACAF title". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  19. "TALENTED RETURNEES HIGHLIGHT 24-PLAYER WNT ROSTER FOR CHINA PR FRIENDLIES". May 29, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  20. "WNT DEFENDER MARGARET PURCE RULED OUT OF CHINA PR FRIENDLIES". June 5, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  21. "U.S. SOCCER USWNT defenders Midge Purce, Alana Cook make the most of international debuts". prosoccerUSA.com. November 11, 2019. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  22. "Macario and Purce open USWNT accounts while Mewis injury scare sours routine Colombia win | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  23. FC, Gotham (November 9, 2021). "Margaret Purce Named to U.S. Women's National Team Roster for Friendlies Against Australia". NJ/NY Gotham FC. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  24. "Margaret Purce '17: Prolific Goal Setter, Scorer, and Achiever | Sports | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  25. Yang, Steph. "NWSL's Black Women's Player Collective seeks forward progress after a 'heavy' few weeks". The Athletic. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  26. "The Black Women's Player Collective". The Black Women's Player Collective. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  27. "USWNT players Megan Rapinoe, Margaret Purce speak at White House on equal pay: 'So much real work to be done'". CBSSports.com. March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  28. Das, Andrew (July 19, 2022). "U.S. Women Beat Canada to Claim Spot in Paris Olympics". The New York Times.
  29. "U.S. Women's National Team Rolls to Title at 2021 SheBelieves Cup, Presented by Visa, With Dominant 6-0 Victory Against Argentina". U.S. Soccer. February 25, 2021.
  30. "U.S. Women's National Team Defeats Iceland 5-0 to Win Third Consecutive and Fifth Overall SheBelieves Cup Title, Presented by Visa". U.S. Soccer. February 23, 2022.
  31. Herrera, Sandra (February 22, 2023). "USWNT vs. Brazil score: USA win SheBelieves Cup with Alex Morgan and Mallory Swanson dominating in attack". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  32. Purdy, Jacqueline (July 8, 2019). "June Team of the Month". NWSLsoccer.com. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  33. NWSLsoccer.com Staff (September 5, 2019). "Thorns FC's Menges, Sinclair and Purce named to NWSL Team of the Month for August 2019". Portland Timbers. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  34. Levine, Matthew (August 27, 2019). "Week 19 Player of the Week: Midge Purce, Portland Thorns FC". NWSLsoccer.com. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  35. National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (May 19, 2021). "Week 1 is @100Purcent 💯 The @GothamFC star takes home @budweiserusa Player of the Week honors 👏 #NWSL21 t.co/ExpUNNOdBk" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021 – via Twitter.
  36. @nwsl (October 20, 2021). "Register" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  37. "MIDGE PURCE, PORTLAND THORNS FC | WEEK 8 GOAL OF THE WEEK". NWSLsoccer.com. June 4, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.

Match reports
  1. "Megan Rapinoe Bags a Brace as U.S. Women's National Team Tops Colombia 6-0 to Close Out Two-Game Set in Orlando". U.S. Soccer. January 22, 2021.
  2. "U.S. WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM TOPS JAMAICA 4-0 IN SECOND MATCH OF 2021 WNT SUMMER SERIES, PRESENTED BY AT&T 5G". U.S. Soccer. June 23, 2021.
  3. "U.S. Women's National Team Defeats Uzbekistan 9-0 as Catarina Macario and Rose Lavelle Score Twice Each". U.S. Soccer. April 12, 2022.
  4. "U.S. Women's National Team Open 2022 CONCACAF W Championship With 2-0[sic] Win Over Haiti". U.S. Soccer. July 4, 2022.
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