Kristine Lilly
Encyclopedia
Kristine Marie Lilly Heavey (born Kristine Marie Lilly on July 22, 1971) is a retired American soccer player who last played for Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer
(WPS) and was a member of the United States women's national soccer team
for 24 years. She is the most capped
men's or women's soccer player in the history of the sport, gaining her 352nd and final cap against Mexico in a World Cup qualifier in November 2010.
in Wilton, Connecticut. While still attending high school, Lilly became a member of the United States women's national team
. She was recruited by, and eventually chose to attend, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
. Lilly competed as a student-athlete, playing for the university's North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer
team from 1989 to 1992. During her time there, she won the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
every year she played. She won the Hermann Trophy
as a junior in 1991. To honor her time with the school, North Carolina retired her #15 jersey in 1994.
of Sweden
in 1994. She spent one season with the club before returning to the United States. On August 20, 1995, Lilly joined Washington Warthogs
of the now-defunct Continental Indoor Soccer League
. She was the only woman in the all-male professional indoor league, following in the footsteps of Collette Cunningham and Shannon Presley who had played in the league sparingly in 1994.
Lilly joined W-League
side Delaware Genies in 1998. With the club, she appeared in four games, scoring five goals and two assists.
February 2001 saw the formation of the world's first women's professional soccer league in which all the players were paid. Women's United Soccer Association
(WUSA) had its inaugural season in 2001. Lilly was the team captain and a founding member of Boston Breakers
. In her first season with the team, she appeared in all twenty-one matches and played every minute of the season. She led the league in assists with eleven and added an additional three goals. For her performance, she was named First Team All-WUSA. In 2002 she started in a further nineteen games. She increased her point total for the season, scoring eight goals and assisting on thirteen others. She was again named First Team All-WUSA and was a starter on the WUSA North All-Star Team. In 2003 Lilly started all nineteen games in which she played, chipping in three goals and four assists and again being named to First Team All-WUSA, the only player in the history of the league to do so. Following the 2003 season, the WUSA ceased operations.
Following the termination of the league, Lilly followed former Boston Breakers head coach Pia Sundhage
to Sweden to play for Damallsvenskan
club KIF Örebro DFF
in 2005. There she was joined by fellow USWNT teammate Christie Welsh
as well as USWNT and Boston Breakers teammate Kate Markgraf
.
In late-2006 and early-2007, the formation of a new women's league took shape under the name of Women's Professional Soccer
(WPS). On September 16, 2008, Lilly was allocated to Boston Breakers along with USWNT teammates Angela Hucles
and Heather Mitts
. The inaugural 2009 Women's Professional Soccer season
saw Lilly appear in all twenty games (playing every minute) and score three goals with three assists.
in 1987, when she was still attending high school. During her international career, she surpassed the previous women's world record of 151 caps
, held by Norway
's Heidi Støre
, on May 21, 1998. On January 30, 1999, she surpassed what was then the men's record of 164 caps
, held by Adnan Al-Talyani of the United Arab Emirates
.
Lilly has participated in the 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007 editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup
. She is a two-time World Cup champion, winning in 1991 and 1999. When she played against North Korea
on September 11, 2007, in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, she became the first woman (and only the third player overall) to participate in five different World Cup Finals; by scoring a goal against England
on September 22, 2007, she became the oldest woman to score in the World Cup.
Lilly has also competed in the 1996
, 2000
, and 2004
editions of the Olympic Games
. She won a gold medal in 1996 and 2004, and a silver medal in 2000. She missed the 2008 Summer Olympics
due to the birth of her child.
Unlike several of her longtime teammates (among them Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, and Mia Hamm
), she did not retire after the team's "farewell tour" which finished on December 8, 2004.
On January 18, 2006, Lilly made her 300th international appearance in a game against Norway
. In the same match, she equaled Michelle Akers
for second place on the team's all-time goal scoring list with 105. Lilly was named as a finalist for the 2006 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year
. She finished second in the voting to Brazil's Marta.
After the birth of her daughter, Lilly returned to the national team in December 2008. Her last match for the national team, representing her 352nd cap, was a World Cup qualifying loss to Mexico (1-2) on November 5, 2010, in which she played for six minutes as a substitute.
When Lilly retired she passed down her jersey number to Alex Morgan
who plays for the national and professional league.
and resides in Needham, Massachusetts
. She is married to Brookline
firefighter David Heavey, a former hockey and golf star at the University of Connecticut
. Lilly gave birth to her first daughter Sidney Marie Heavey on her birthday, July 22, 2008, and her second daughter Jordan Mary Heavey on September 2,2011.
She appeared in the HBO documentary Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team
. Lilly helps run a soccer camp with Mia Hamm
and Tisha Venturini-Hoch.
Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer is the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded 6 teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion...
(WPS) and was a member of the United States women's national soccer team
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
for 24 years. She is the most capped
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
men's or women's soccer player in the history of the sport, gaining her 352nd and final cap against Mexico in a World Cup qualifier in November 2010.
Early years and university
Lilly attended Wilton High SchoolWilton High School
Wilton High School is a public high school in Wilton, Connecticut, and considered "one of Connecticut’s top performers" in various measures of school success. The current principal is Robert O'Donnell. Previously the long-time-principal was Timothy H. Canty, who also attended the school in the...
in Wilton, Connecticut. While still attending high school, Lilly became a member of the United States women's national team
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
. She was recruited by, and eventually chose to attend, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. Lilly competed as a student-athlete, playing for the university's North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer
North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer
The North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer team represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I soccer...
team from 1989 to 1992. During her time there, she won the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championships are divided into three divisions. This article lists NCAA Women's soccer championships.-Division I:The NCAA began conducting a Women's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1982 with a 12-team tournament...
every year she played. She won the Hermann Trophy
Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:...
as a junior in 1991. To honor her time with the school, North Carolina retired her #15 jersey in 1994.
Professional clubs
Lilly began her career with Tyresö FFTyresö FF
For the club's ladies team, see Tyresö FF .Tyresö FF is a Swedish football club located in Tyresö which is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden.-Background:...
of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1994. She spent one season with the club before returning to the United States. On August 20, 1995, Lilly joined Washington Warthogs
Washington Warthogs
The Washington Warthogs were a professional indoor soccer team in the Continental Indoor Soccer League from 1994-1997. They played their home games in the US Airways Arena in Landover, Maryland, an arena they shared with the Washington Capitals and Washington Bullets.The Warthogs featured the...
of the now-defunct Continental Indoor Soccer League
Continental Indoor Soccer League
The Continental Indoor Soccer League was an indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997.-History:When the Major Soccer League folded in the summer of 1992, two of its former teams joined a group of hockey and basketball arena owners led by Ron Weinstein who wanted to create a league to...
. She was the only woman in the all-male professional indoor league, following in the footsteps of Collette Cunningham and Shannon Presley who had played in the league sparingly in 1994.
Lilly joined W-League
W-League
The USL W-League is a national women's soccer league in the United States on the 2nd level of women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the Women's Premier Soccer League and below Women's Professional Soccer....
side Delaware Genies in 1998. With the club, she appeared in four games, scoring five goals and two assists.
February 2001 saw the formation of the world's first women's professional soccer league in which all the players were paid. Women's United Soccer Association
Women's United Soccer Association
The Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States...
(WUSA) had its inaugural season in 2001. Lilly was the team captain and a founding member of Boston Breakers
Boston Breakers (WUSA)
The Boston Breakers were a professional soccer team that played in the Women's United Soccer Association. The team played at Nickerson Field on the campus of Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. The team held a "name the team" contest that Laura DeDonato of Easton Massachusetts won with the...
. In her first season with the team, she appeared in all twenty-one matches and played every minute of the season. She led the league in assists with eleven and added an additional three goals. For her performance, she was named First Team All-WUSA. In 2002 she started in a further nineteen games. She increased her point total for the season, scoring eight goals and assisting on thirteen others. She was again named First Team All-WUSA and was a starter on the WUSA North All-Star Team. In 2003 Lilly started all nineteen games in which she played, chipping in three goals and four assists and again being named to First Team All-WUSA, the only player in the history of the league to do so. Following the 2003 season, the WUSA ceased operations.
Following the termination of the league, Lilly followed former Boston Breakers head coach Pia Sundhage
Pia Sundhage
Pia Mariane Sundhage is a Swedish former professional football player who is currently the head coach of the United States Women's National Team. While she played most of her career as a forward, she had stints as a midfielder as well as a sweeper.- Club :...
to Sweden to play for Damallsvenskan
Damallsvenskan
The Damallsvenskan, Swedish for ladies' all-Swedish, is the highest division of women's football in Sweden. It is also referred as to the women's Allsvenskan, this term being used alone to refer to the men's division....
club KIF Örebro DFF
KIF Örebro DFF
KIF Örebro DFF is a football club from Örebro, Sweden. They play in the highest level of women's soccer leagues in Sweden, the Damallsvenskan...
in 2005. There she was joined by fellow USWNT teammate Christie Welsh
Christie Welsh
Christie Welsh is an American soccer forward who plays for D.C. United Women of the USL W-League. She is a former member of the United States women's national soccer team.-Soccer career:...
as well as USWNT and Boston Breakers teammate Kate Markgraf
Kate Markgraf
Kate Markgraf , is an American soccer defender and was a member of the U.S. women's national team.-Early life:...
.
In late-2006 and early-2007, the formation of a new women's league took shape under the name of Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer is the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded 6 teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion...
(WPS). On September 16, 2008, Lilly was allocated to Boston Breakers along with USWNT teammates Angela Hucles
Angela Hucles
Angela Khalia Hucles is a former American soccer midfielder and member of the United States women's national soccer team.-Early life:...
and Heather Mitts
Heather Mitts
Heather Blaine Mitts Feeley is an American professional soccer player who is a defender in the Women's Professional Soccer league. Mitts played college soccer for the University of Florida, and thereafter, she has played professionally for the Philadelphia Charge, Boston Breakers, Philadelphia...
. The inaugural 2009 Women's Professional Soccer season
2009 Women's Professional Soccer season
The 2009 Women's Professional Soccer season served as the inaugural season for WPS, the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States...
saw Lilly appear in all twenty games (playing every minute) and score three goals with three assists.
International
Lilly made her debut for the United States women's national soccer teamUnited States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
in 1987, when she was still attending high school. During her international career, she surpassed the previous women's world record of 151 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
, held by Norway
Norway women's national football team
The Norway women's national football team represents Norway in international women's football. The team, controlled by the Football Association of Norway, are former European, World and Olympic champions and thus one of the most successful national teams...
's Heidi Støre
Heidi Støre
Heidi Støre is a former Norwegian footballer and world champion as captain for the national team.She played for the clubs Sprint-Jeløy , Trollhättan , Kolbotn , Nikko and Athene Moss...
, on May 21, 1998. On January 30, 1999, she surpassed what was then the men's record of 164 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
, held by Adnan Al-Talyani of the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates national football team
The United Arab Emirates national football team represents United Arab Emirates in association football and is controlled by the United Arab Emirates Football Association, the governing body for football in United Arab Emirates...
.
Lilly has participated in the 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007 editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup
FIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
. She is a two-time World Cup champion, winning in 1991 and 1999. When she played against North Korea
Korea DPR women's national football team
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea women's national football team represents North Korea in international women's football. North Korea were the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship winners, and won the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2001, 2003 and 2008....
on September 11, 2007, in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, she became the first woman (and only the third player overall) to participate in five different World Cup Finals; by scoring a goal against England
England women's national football team
The England women's national football team represents England in international women's football. The side has been quite successful of late, qualifying for three World Cups, 1995, 2007 and 2011...
on September 22, 2007, she became the oldest woman to score in the World Cup.
Lilly has also competed in the 1996
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
, 2000
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, and 2004
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
editions of the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. She won a gold medal in 1996 and 2004, and a silver medal in 2000. She missed the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
due to the birth of her child.
Unlike several of her longtime teammates (among them Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, and Mia Hamm
Mia Hamm
Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm is a retired American soccer player. Hamm played many years as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team and was a founding member of the Washington Freedom. Hamm has scored more international goals in her career than any other player, male or female,...
), she did not retire after the team's "farewell tour" which finished on December 8, 2004.
On January 18, 2006, Lilly made her 300th international appearance in a game against Norway
Norway women's national football team
The Norway women's national football team represents Norway in international women's football. The team, controlled by the Football Association of Norway, are former European, World and Olympic champions and thus one of the most successful national teams...
. In the same match, she equaled Michelle Akers
Michelle Akers
Michelle Akers is a former leading American association football player, who starred in the historic 1991 and 1999 Women's World Cup victory by the U.S.. She won the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the 1991 tournament...
for second place on the team's all-time goal scoring list with 105. Lilly was named as a finalist for the 2006 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year
2006 FIFA World Player of the Year
The 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year prize was awarded to the Italian Fabio Cannavaro for the first time. He finished ahead of the retired Midfielder Zinédine Zidane, who won the Golden Ball at the World Cup and the winner of the last FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho in the final round of...
. She finished second in the voting to Brazil's Marta.
After the birth of her daughter, Lilly returned to the national team in December 2008. Her last match for the national team, representing her 352nd cap, was a World Cup qualifying loss to Mexico (1-2) on November 5, 2010, in which she played for six minutes as a substitute.
When Lilly retired she passed down her jersey number to Alex Morgan
Alex Morgan
Alexandra Patricia "Alex" Morgan is an American soccer player from Diamond Bar, California. She is a forward for the Western New York Flash of Women's Professional Soccer and member of the US Women's National Team...
who plays for the national and professional league.
Personal
Lilly grew up in Wilton, ConnecticutWilton, Connecticut
Wilton is a town nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It is located in Fairfield County. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 18,062. In 2007, it was voted as one of CNN Money's "Best Places to Live" in the United States.Located along...
and resides in Needham, Massachusetts
Needham, Massachusetts
Needham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 28,886 at the 2010 census.- History :...
. She is married to Brookline
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
firefighter David Heavey, a former hockey and golf star at the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
. Lilly gave birth to her first daughter Sidney Marie Heavey on her birthday, July 22, 2008, and her second daughter Jordan Mary Heavey on September 2,2011.
She appeared in the HBO documentary Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team
Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team
Dare to Dream is a 2005 sports documentary about the United States women's national soccer team. It describes the pivotal roles of Brandi Chastain, Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Kristine Lilly, and Joy Fawcett in the development of the team. These athletes also give interviews for the film...
. Lilly helps run a soccer camp with Mia Hamm
Mia Hamm
Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm is a retired American soccer player. Hamm played many years as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team and was a founding member of the Washington Freedom. Hamm has scored more international goals in her career than any other player, male or female,...
and Tisha Venturini-Hoch.
Career statistics
| Year | Team | League | Games Played |
Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Tyresö F.C. | Sweden | ||||
| 1995 | Washington Warthogs Washington Warthogs The Washington Warthogs were a professional indoor soccer team in the Continental Indoor Soccer League from 1994-1997. They played their home games in the US Airways Arena in Landover, Maryland, an arena they shared with the Washington Capitals and Washington Bullets.The Warthogs featured the... |
CISL | ||||
| 1998 | Delaware Genies | W-League | 4 | 5 | 2 | 12 |
| 2001 | Boston Breakers | WUSA | 21 | 3 | 10 | 16 |
| 2002 | Boston Breakers | WUSA | 19 | 8 | 13 | 29 |
| 2003 | Boston Breakers | WUSA | 19 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 2005 | KIF Örebro DFF | Sweden | ||||
| 2009 | Boston Breakers | WPS | 4 | 4 | 3 | |
| totals | 63 | 19 | 29 | 48 |
Honours
| Year | Team | Championship/Medal |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | University of North Carolina | NCAA National Champion |
| 1990 | University of North Carolina | NCAA National Champion |
| 1991 | USA WNT | FIFA World Cup Champion |
| 1991 | University of North Carolina | NCAA National Champion |
| 1992 | University of North Carolina | NCAA National Champion |
| 1995 | USA WNT | FIFA World Cup Bronze |
| 1996 | USA WNT | Olympic Gold |
| 1999 | USA WNT | FIFA World Cup Champion |
| 2000 | USA WNT | Olympic Silver |
| 2003 | USA WNT | FIFA World Cup Bronze |
| 2004 | USA WNT | Olympic Gold |
| 2007 | USA WNT | FIFA World Cup Bronze |