 Teaching soccer to an Afghan girl in June 2004 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Meredith Grace Beard | ||
| Birth name | Meredith Grace Florance[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1979-05-10)May 10, 1979 (age 46) | ||
| Place of birth | Dallas, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–1996 | Dallas Sting | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–2000 | North Carolina Tar Heels | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001 | Carolina Courage | 20 | (2) |
| 2002–2003 | Washington Freedom | 19 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 1999–2001 | United States | 3 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Meredith Grace Beard (née Florance; born May 10, 1979) is an American formerprofessionalsoccer player. Aforward, she represented theCarolina Courage and theWashington Freedom ofWomen's United Soccer Association (WUSA). She won threecaps for theUnited States national team.
As a senior atNorth Carolina, she won theHonda Sports Award as the nation's top soccer player.[2][3]
Beard was theCarolina Courage's seconddraft pick ahead of the inaugural2001 season of theWomen's United Soccer Association (WUSA).[4] Ahead of the2002 season she joined theWashington Freedom as afree agent. She was mainly asubstitute at the Freedom, ascoachJim Gabarra preferred to field celebrated forwardsMia Hamm andAbby Wambach.
In 2003, Beard's Freedom team won theFounders Cup, but she did not play in the post-season fixtures. When WUSA subsequently folded, she began working for a kitchen and bathroom showroom.[5]
In February 1999, Beard won her first cap for theUnited States national team. She played the second half of a 3–1behind closed doors win overFinland inOrlando.[6] She played two more matches for the national team in January 2001, both againstChina.[7]
In February 2002 she married Ryan Beard.[8]
  | This biographical article related to awomen's soccer forward in the United States is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |