Sofia Sakalis

Sofia Sakalis (born 11 July 2002) is an Australian soccer player currently playing for Perth Glory in the A-League Women. She has represented Australia in the Australia U-17 and Australia U-20. Sakalis plays in the attacking midfielder position.

Sofia Sakalis
Personal information
Full name Sofia Sakalis
Date of birth (2002-07-11) 11 July 2002
Place of birth East Melbourne, Australia
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Perth Glory
Number 12
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2021 Melbourne City 5 (0)
2021– Perth Glory 31 (2)
International career‡
2016–2017 Australia U-17 8 (12)
2018– Australia U-20 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 31 October 2018

Early life

Sakalis, who is of Greek-Australian background, showed interest in soccer at the age of three and began playing two years later.[1][2] When she first started playing, coaches assigned her to teams with boys her age but advanced her to play with older boys.[1] At age 13, her performance at the National Championships earned her call-ups to three training camps with the Junior Matildas, Australia's under-17 national team.[1]

Playing career

Melbourne City, 2017–2021

After training with Melbourne City FC in 2015–16, Sakalis signed with the team for the 2017–18 season at the age of 15.[3] She made her debut for the club during the team's 5–2 win over the Newcastle Jets on 12 November.[4][5]

Perth Glory, 2021–present

Sofia signed a 2-year deal with Perth Glory ahead of the 2021–22 season.[6]

International

Sakalis competed with the Junior Matildas[7][8] at the 2017 AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualification tournament in Vietnam where they finished first in their group with an undefeated record.[9] During the team's first group match against Palestine, Sakalis scored five goals,[10] and scored a total of 11 goals over 5 games.[11] She was the top scorer at the qualifying tournament, helping Australia secure a place at the 2017 AFC U-16 Women's Championship in Thailand.[9][12]

National Premier League

Sakalis was awarded Football Victoria's Gold Medal Award for the best player of 2022.

Honours

Sakalis was named 2016 Sport Stars of the Year with Olympic boxer Jason Whateley by the Whitehorse Leader.[13]

References
  1. Komarkowski, Antonia (21 June 2017). "Sofia Sakalis 15-year-old Soccer star". Greek City Times. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  2. "City sign trio for Westfield W-League season". W-League. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  3. "Complete preview for each W-League team for season 2017/18". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  4. "S. Sakalis". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  5. "A day to remember for Sakalis and Muldeary". Melbourne City FC. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  6. "Midfield duo board w-league 2021/22 campaign". Perth Glory. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  7. Stogiannou, George (5 August 2016). "Sakalis selected for Junior Matildas in AFC qualifying tournament in Vietnam". Neos Kosmos. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  8. "Juric names squad for AFC U-16 qualifiers". Westfield Matildas. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  9. "Junior Matildas complete qualifiers with perfect record". The Women's Game. 3 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  10. "Junior Matildas' easy win in Vietnam". Westfield Matildas. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  11. Turner, David (25 September 2016). "Vermont South's Sofia Sakalis is a rising soccer star with the world at her feet". Whitehorse Leader. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  12. "World champions Korea DPR target Asian treble". FIFA. 8 September 2017. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  13. Naughtin, Paddy (22 November 2016). "Soccer star Sofia Sakalis and Olympic boxer Jason Whateley named 2016 Whitehorse Leader Sport Stars". Whitehorse Leader. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
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