Malia Berkely | |
Fullname: | Malia Nicole Berkely[1] |
Birth Date: | 13 February 1998 |
Birth Place: | Liberty Township, Ohio, United States |
Height: | 1.73 m |
Position: | Center back |
Currentclub: | North Carolina Courage |
Clubnumber: | 7 |
Collegeyears1: | 2016–2020 |
College1: | Florida State Seminoles |
Collegecaps1: | 84 |
Collegegoals1: | 4 |
Years1: | 2021 |
Clubs1: | Bordeaux |
Caps1: | 10 |
Goals1: | 1 |
Years2: | 2022– |
Clubs2: | North Carolina Courage |
Caps2: | 27 |
Goals2: | 0 |
Nationalyears1: | 2019 |
Nationalteam1: | United States U23 |
Nationalcaps1: | 3 |
Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
Club-Update: | July 9, 2023 |
Malia Nicole Berkely (born February 13, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center back for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Florida State Seminoles.
Berkely was raised in Hamilton, Ohio, where she attended Father Stephen T. Badin High School.[2]
Berkely attended Florida State University where she played for the Seminoles from 2016 to 2020. She helped the team win the 2018 NCAA tournament and was twice named ACC Defensive Player of the Year (2019 and 2020) and first-team All-American (2019 and 2020).[3]
Berkely joined FC Girondins de Bordeaux in January 2021 on an 18-month contract.[2] [4] She appeared in 10 games, scoring one goal, before Bordeaux transferred her with six months remaining on her contract.
In December 2021, Berkely was transferred the North Carolina Courage for a fee,[5] and the Courage signed her to a three-year contract.[6] On March 19, 2022, she started the first game of the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup and assisted on an Abby Erceg goal to defeat NJ/NY Gotham FC 2–0.[7] She scored her first goal for the Courage in a 2–2 Challenge Cup draw to the Washington Spirit on April 23.[8] She went on to start in the Challenge Cup final, which the Courage won against the Washington Spirit.[9]
On July 21, 2023, the Courage extended Berkely's contract for three years, keeping her with the team through 2026.[10] She started in a second Challenge Cup final in a row in 2023, in which the Courage defeated Racing Louisville FC.[11] She led the NWSL in passing accuracy (89.8%) in the 2023 season.[12]
Berkely married RJ Gerhardt on December 17, 2023.[13]
Florida State Seminoles
North Carolina Courage