Neeku Purcell
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Neeku Kazemi Purcell | ||
| Date of birth | October 7, 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Seattle, Washington, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Brooklyn FC | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2016–2022 | OL Reign Academy | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | UCLA Bruins | 27 | (0) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024– | Brooklyn FC | 5 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2018 | United States U-16 | ||
| 2019 | United States U-17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2019 | United States U-18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2022 | United States U-20 | 7 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of December 14, 2024 | |||
Neeku Kazemi Purcell (born October 7, 2003) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for USL Super League club Brooklyn FC. She played college soccer for the UCLA Bruins. She has represented the United States at the youth international level.
Early life and college career
[edit]Purcell was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, one of two twin sisters born to Elham Kazemi and Mark Purcell. Both of her parents went to UCLA. She attended the Northwest School, where she played basketball and lettered in three seasons.[1] She played club soccer for the OL Reign Academy from its inception in 2016.[2] She was rated by TopDrawerSoccer as the eighth-best prospect of her class.[1]
UCLA Bruins
[edit]Purcell made 8 appearances (all off the bench) for the UCLA Bruins in her freshman season in 2022, serving as the understudy to Lauren Brzykcy. She appeared briefly in the first round of the NCAA tournament but was unused the rest of the way as UCLA won the national championship.[1][3] In her sophomore season in 2023, she started all 19 games and kept 7 full shutouts along with 4 shared shutouts. UCLA was upset by UC Irvine in the first round of the NCAA tournament.[1][4]
Club career
[edit]Brooklyn FC
[edit]USL Super League club Brooklyn FC announced Purcell's signing on August 6, 2024, ahead of the league's inaugural 2024–25 season.[5] She made her professional debut on September 29, 2024, starting in a 1–0 win against Lexington SC. She finished the fall series with 3 clean sheets in 5 starts, sharing goalkeeping duties with Sydney Martinez.[6][7]
International career
[edit]Purcell was called up to the United States youth national team at the under-15, under-16, under-17, under-18, and under-20 levels.[8] She started all four knockout rounds for the United States at the 2022 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship, conceding no goals as they won the tournament.[6] She started the country's second game at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, a 3–0 loss to the Netherlands, as the United States did not make it out of the group stage.[6] She was called up by Emma Hayes into Futures Camp, practicing alongside the senior national team, in January 2025. She was the only USL Super League player called into the camp.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Neeku Purcell". UCLA Bruins. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ "OL Reign Academy Player Neeku Purcell Called Up to U-20 U.S. Youth National Team". Seattle Reign FC. February 15, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ Whitaker, Grace (August 18, 2023). "UCLA women's soccer starts off the season strong with win against Georgia". Daily Bruin. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ Friedman, Isabelle (November 10, 2023). "UC Irvine cuts No. 1 seed UCLA women's soccer's NCAA run short with late-game shot". Daily Bruin. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ "Goalkeeper Neeku Purcell and Forward Mackenzie George join Brooklyn FC after collegiate success". Brooklyn FC. August 6, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ a b c Neeku Purcell at Soccerway
- ^ a b Leigh, Andrew (January 8, 2025). "Brooklyn FC's Neeku Purcell invited to USWNT Futures Camp". Hudson River Blue. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ "Neeku Purcell". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Neeku Purcell at Soccerway.com
- Living people
- 2003 births
- 21st-century American sportswomen
- Soccer players from Seattle
- American women's soccer players
- Women's association football goalkeepers
- United States women's youth international soccer players
- United States women's under-20 international soccer players
- UCLA Bruins women's soccer players
- Brooklyn FC players