Samantha Meza Explained

Sam Meza
Full Name:Samantha Meza[1]
Birth Date:7 November 2001
Birth Place:Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Height:5 ft 4 in
Position:Midfielder
Currentclub:Dallas Trinity
(on loan from the Seattle Reign)
Collegeyears1:2020–2023
College1:North Carolina
Collegecaps1:72
Collegegoals1:7
Years1:2024–
Clubs1:Seattle Reign
Caps1:0
Goals1:0
Years2:2024–
Clubs2:Dallas Trinity (loan)
Caps2:1
Goals2:0
Nationalyears1:2017–2018
Nationalteam1:United States U-17
Nationalcaps1:12
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:2019–2020
Nationalteam2:United States U-20
Nationalcaps2:11
Nationalgoals2:2
Club-Update:August 18, 2024
Nationalteam-Update:March 8, 2024

Samantha Meza (born November 7, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Dallas Trinity FC of the USL Super League, on loan from Seattle Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels before being drafted by the Reign in the 2024 NWSL Draft. She represented the United States at the under-15, under-17, and under-20 level, winning CONCACAF tournaments at each level.

Early life

Meza was born in Dallas, Texas, to Alma and Luis Santos, and has a younger brother.[2] She is of Mexican descent.[3] She grew up in Balch Springs and began playing soccer at age three.[4] She played club soccer for Dallas Kicks, which reached the final of the US Youth Soccer National Championships one year, then moved to Solar Soccer Club of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy in 2017–18.[5] [6] She was twice named to the Best XI of her Academy conference.[7] [8] She attended TTU K–12 for her last two years of high school.[4] She verbally committed to the University of North Carolina in March 2019 after initially planning to join Virginia.[9] [10]

College career

Meza was a starting midfielder at North Carolina from 2020 to 2023. In her first season, she was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) All-Freshman team and All-ACC third team.[11] As a sophomore, she scored an overtime golden goal to beat Arkansas in August 2021 and was named to the All-ACC second team.[12] [13] She played through minor shin splints during her junior season and was named third-team All-American and first-team All-ACC though she missed the team's run at the 2022 NCAA tournament due to injury.[14] [15] She received second-team All-ACC honors as a senior.[16] Head coach Anson Dorrance nicknamed her "Mighty Mouse" for her defensive prowess.[14] [17]

Club career

Seattle Reign FC selected Meza with the 17th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NWSL Draft.[18] She was signed to a one-year contract with the Reign with a one-year option, which was exercised.[19] Meza made her professional debut on July 19, 2024, in the first group stage game of the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, substituting on in the 57th minute of a 2–1 win over the Utah Royals.[20]

On August 1, 2024, the Reign loaned Meza to USL Super League club Dallas Trinity FC for the rest of the year for an undisclosed fee ahead of the inaugural 2024–25 season.[21] She appeared in the starting lineup of Trinity's first-ever game on August 18, which they drew 1–1 to Tampa Bay Sun FC.[22]

International career

Meza began training with the United States national under-15 team in 2015.[3] [23] In August 2016, she scored six goals as part of the under-15 team that shut out all seven of its opponents to win the 2016 CONCACAF Girls' U-15 Championship.[6] [24] She played regularly for the national under-17 team, including on the winning team at the 2018 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship.[25] [26] She won the 2020 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship with the national under-20 team in early 2020.[27] In June 2022, she played friendlies for the national under-23 team.[28]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: December Commencement Two Thousand Twenty Three . 24 . December 17, 2023 . August 1, 2024.
  2. News: Sam Meza – Women's Soccer. University of North Carolina Athletics. 2024-01-08.
  3. News: Sam Meza hopes to leave inspiring legacy for young Latinas. Jones. Jody. 2022-10-08. University of North Carolina Athletics. 2024-01-08.
  4. News: D1 University Scholarship Kicks in for TTU K‑12 Soccer Player. Cranford. Leslie. January 2020. TTU K–12. 2024-01-08.
  5. News: Ordonez and Meza called up to the US U17 WNT for CONCACAF Championship. Crooke. Dan. 2018-03-28. The Dallas Morning News. 2024-01-08.
  6. News: North Texas Players Meza, Ordonez Called Up to U-17 USWNT Camp. 2017-10-24. Arkansas Soccer Association. 2024-01-08.
  7. News: USSF announces Girls DA 2017-18 awards. United States Soccer Federation. 2018-06-10. TopDrawerSoccer.com. 2024-01-08.
  8. News: Solar SC and FC Dallas bring home USSDA awards. Crooke. Dan. 2019-07-22. The Dallas Morning News. 2024-01-08.
  9. News: Recruiting Roundup: April 1–7. Shealer. Sheldon. 2019-04-01. TopDrawerSoccer.com. 2024-01-08.
  10. News: Sam Meza has bought into the process at Seattle Reign FC. Kudzi. Musarurwa. 2024-04-19. All for XI. SB Nation. 2024-04-24.
  11. News: Eight Tar Heels Receive All-ACC Women's Soccer Honors. 2020-11-14. Trendel. Avery. Chapelboro.com. 2024-01-08.
  12. News: No. 3 UNC Women's Soccer Tops No. 13 Arkansas on Meza's Golden Goal. 2021-08-23. Koh. Michael. Chapelboro.com. 2024-01-08.
  13. News: 2021 All-ACC Women's Soccer Awards Announced. 2021-11-04. Atlantic Coast Conference. 2024-01-08.
  14. News: After Meza steadies UNC in win, Dorrance calls her greatest defensive midfielder he's coached. 2022-09-11. Bynum. R.L.. Tar Heel Tribune. 2024-01-08.
  15. News: UNC Women's Soccer Picked 1st in ACC Coaches Poll; 3 Tar Heels Named All-ACC. 2023-08-11. Koh. Michael. Chapelboro.com. 2024-01-08.
  16. News: 6 Tar Heels Earn All-ACC Women's Soccer Honors; Sentnor Named Midfielder of the Year. 2023-11-02. Koh. Michael. Chapelboro.com. 2024-01-08.
  17. News: 'Mighty Mouse' Meza lifts UNC women's soccer above UCF with second half magic. Rogers. Evan. 2022-09-11. The Daily Tar Heel. 2024-01-08.
  18. News: NWSL draft: Reign trade up to take UNC's Sam Meza, select former UW player. Evans. Jayda. 2024-01-12. The Seattle Times. 2024-01-13.
  19. News: Seattle Reign FC Signs 2024 NWSL Draft Pick Sam Meza. 2024-03-07. Seattle Reign FC. 2024-03-08.
  20. News: Match Recap: Seattle Reign FC Open Summer Cup with 2–1 Win Over Utah. 2024-07-20. Seattle Reign FC. 2024-07-20.
  21. News: Seattle Reign FC Exercises Option for Midfielder Sam Meza, Loans Meza to USL Super League’s Dallas Trinity FC. 2024-08-01. Seattle Reign FC. 2024-08-01.
  22. News: Tampa Bay Sun FC 1–1 Dallas Trinity FC. 2024-08-18. USL Super League. 2024-08-18.
  23. News: U15, U16 GNTs head to Portland for camp. 2015-06-01. United States Soccer Federation. TopDrawerSoccer.com. 2024-01-08.
  24. News: Champions: U.S. U-15 girls perfect in Orlando; U-18 boys lift Czech crown. 2016-08-22. Soccer America. 2024-01-08.
  25. News: USA qualifies for the U17 Women's World Cup. Eskilson. J.R.. 2018-06-10. TopDrawerSoccer.com. 2024-01-08.
  26. News: Four North Texas Players to Compete in U-17 Women's World Cup. Arkansas Soccer Association. https://web.archive.org/web/20220528231025/https://www.arkansassoccer.org/four-north-texas-players-to-compete-in-u-17-women%E2%80%99s-world-cup/. 2022-05-28. dead.
  27. News: USA Rolls Past Mexico 4–1 to Win 2020 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship. 2020-03-08. United States Soccer Federation. 2024-01-08.
  28. News: U.S. Under-23 Women's Youth National Team Defeats Sweden 3–0 on Goals from Alyssa Thompson, Ava Cook and Kerry Abello. 2022-06-28. United States Soccer Federation. 2024-01-08.