Former Rutgers women’s soccer star, Amirah Ali, is starting to make her presence felt in the professional ranks. She has spent her 2022 season with the National Women’s Soccer League’s San Diego Wave FC.
On Sunday night, Ali scored in the 66th minute. The Wave were adding pressure in the second half of a tie game. Ali’s teammate and National Team/Olympic star Alex Morgan received a pass in the box. Morgan shot wide, but teammate Makenzy Doniak was ready and kept the ball near the net with a strong header. Ali had crashed the net and put the ball high over the keeper’s leg for her second career goal.
.@amirahali07 bundles the ball over the line to put @sandiegowavefc in front for the first time tonight 🙌#SDvHOU | #WaveFC pic.twitter.com/BKxqxTbPMK
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 21, 2022
Amirah was originally drafted by the Portland Thorns. During the NWSL expansion draft, Ali was traded with another player in exchange for $50,000 in allocation money. Ali was the Thorns’ third-round selection in the 2021 NWSL draft and finished her senior season with Rutgers in the Women’s College Cup last season.
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Ali was a strong contributor for Rutgers in one of the most successful seasons in program history. She received numerous honors in her senior season – including 2021 College Cup All-Tournament Team, All-America Third Team, All-Region First Team, Big Ten All-Tournament Team, All-Big Ten First Team, Academic All-Big Ten, and was named 2021 Big Ten Player to Watch prior to the season’s start.
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With teammates like Alex Morgan, Ali will have plenty of opportunity to shine and continue to grow under incredible guidance. She will be worth watching closely all season long.
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