University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC Alumna Heath Named US Soccer Female Player of the Year
December 14, 2016 | Women's Soccer
CHICAGO, ILL. (Dec. 13, 2016) – University of North Carolina women's soccer alumnae Tobin Heath and Crystal Dunn finished first and second in the 2016 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year voting, respectively, as announced Tuesday by United States Soccer.
Heath, who has long been a fan favorite for her entertaining style of play and dynamic work with the ball, wins the award for the first time in her ninth year with the U.S. Women's National Team. She won after earning 40 percent of the vote while Crystal Dunn came in second with 34 percent.
"It's obviously an honor to win an award like this, especially when you look at the list of amazing players who have won it before," Heath said. "This year was a difficult one for our team, but overall we played some great soccer so it's humbling to be recognized individually. I'm just proud to be in the company of all the great players that were nominated and all of the players that played for the USA this year. I couldn't have accomplished anything without the support of my teammates and my coaches, and while it was a fun year for me personally, I'm excited not only about my own future, but also the future of this team as I know we have a lot more room to grow and many more goals to achieve."
This year saw the 28-year-old Basking Ridge, N.J. native elevate her game to an even higher level. Heath played in 22 games, scoring six goals while recording eight assists tying for second-most on the team with Dunn. Both numbers were career bests for Heath, who this year competed in her fifth world championship for the USA. She played 1,747 minutes in 2016, good for second-best on the team.
Heath was one of the USA's best players at the 2016 Olympic Games where she recorded two assists. In her fourth season playing for the National Women' Soccer League's Portland Thorns FC, Heath finished the year with 10 assists - a new league record - in only 14 appearances for the club - while helping PTFC to the regular season title. She was named to the NWSL Best XI.
U.S. Soccer Player of the Year Winners
A new voting process was put into place in 2014. Votes are collected from respective National Team coaches, National Team players who have earned a cap in 2016, American soccer league (MLS, NASL and NWSL) head coaches, select media members, former players and administrators.
The U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year has been awarded since 1985, when midfielder Sharon Remer earned the first Female Athlete of the Year honor. The Young Female Player of the Year honor was first awarded in 1998, with Tar Heel alumna Cindy Parlow earning the honor.
Another Tar Heel alumna, Lucy Bronze, who played for Carolina on its 2009 NCAA championship team, recently was honored by the English Football Association. An England national team defender, Bronze picked up the FA WSL 1 Players' Player of the Year recognition.
