Nel Fettig

Retired American soccer player
Nel Fettig
Personal information
Date of birth (1976-04-25) April 25, 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States
Position(s) Defender
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1997 North Carolina Tar Heels 102 (7)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2000 Raleigh Wings
2001–2002 New York Power 21 (2)
2002–2003 Carolina Courage 42 (2)
International career
1993 United States U20
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Nel Fettig (born April 25, 1976, in Fort Wayne, Indiana) is a retired American soccer player who played for the Carolina Courage.

Early life and education

Fettig was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana on April 25, 1976.[1] She attended Bishop Luers High School, where she excelled in both soccer and tennis,[2] being named the National High School Player of the Year in 1994.[3] She graduated as class valedictorian, then received an undergraduate degree in psychology and exercise science from the University of North Carolina.[4] While there, she received various honors as a student-athlete, including a postgraduate scholarship from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which she used to attend the University of North Carolina School of Law.[4]

Athletic career

Before university

Fettig began her athletic career young, competing internationally before graduating from high school.[3] In 1993, she competed at the U.S. Olympic Festival held in San Antonio, as well as on the United States women's national under-20 soccer team.[3][5]

University

While studying at the University of North Carolina, Fettig played for the university's soccer team.[4] She was an All-American from 1995 to 1997,[2][6] and during her tenure, the team won three National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) titles.[3][4] In 1996, she was named the NCAA Tournament's Defensive MVP.[4] In her senior year, she served as the team captain.[4]

Professional and semi-professional

From 1998 to 2000, Fettig played semi-professionally in the W-League with the Raleigh Wings, where she served as team captain.[4][6] During her tenure, the team won two national championships.[4] She was also named the W-League Defender of the Year in 1998, 1999, and 2000.[4][6]

Fettig made her professional debut with the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) in 2001, having been drafted to play for the New York Power.[4] She played in the 2002 WUSA All-Star Game[4] and won the 2002 WUSA Founders Cup.[7] She transferred to play with the Carolina Courage the following season.[6][7] WUSA collapsed in 2003.[8]

Coaching

Fettig was an assistant coach at Northwestern University for the 1998 season.[4] She returned to the position in 2003.[4]

Honors

In 2008, Fettig was inducted into the Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Nel Fettig women's soccer Statistics". StatsCrew.com. Archived from the original on 2023-08-08. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  2. ^ a b Crothers, Tim (2010). The Man Watching: Anson Dorrance and the University of North Carolina Women's Soccer Dynasty. St. Martin's Publishing Group. pp. 123–124. ISBN 9781429946261.
  3. ^ a b c d "Head over Heels". The News-Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2016-02-14. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Nel Fettig Named Assistant Coach". Northwestern Athletics. 2003-08-20. Archived from the original on 2023-08-08. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  5. ^ "Young Fort Wayne soccer star earns national invite Amelia White will be part of U15 national team camp this month". The News-Sentinel. 2017-04-01. Archived from the original on 2022-10-26. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  6. ^ a b c d "Former Tar Heel Fettig Added To Carolina Courage Roster". University of North Carolina Athletics. 2002-03-31. Archived from the original on 2023-08-08. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  7. ^ a b Deitsch, Richard (2002-09-02). "Foreign Aid The Carolina Courage tapped into the international pipeline and came up champs in WUSA's Year 2". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 2023-08-05. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  8. ^ King, Bill. "Confident, yes, but can new league survive?". Sport Business Journal. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  9. ^ "Nelwyn Fettig Hayes – Class of 2008 – HOF Honorees | Indiana". Soccer Indiana. Archived from the original on 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2023-08-08.