Chloe Ricketts made NWSL history in just her fourth professional appearance.
At 16 years, 2 months and 6 days old, Ricketts became the youngest goalscorer in the league’s 10-year history when she capped off the Washington Spirit’s 4-2 Challenge Cup win over NJ/NY Gotham FC on Friday night.
After the game, Ricketts said her little sister told her she had to score in the match. That request fueled her quest, Ricketts said.
“That’s what was going through my mind the whole time,” she told reporters after the win. “[Ashley] Hatch played a beautiful ball straight to my feet, so I could finish it easily.”
While Ricketts is the youngest player to score a goal in the NWSL, she isn’t the youngest player in the league. That designation belongs to San Diego Wave FC forward Melanie Barcenas, who won’t turn 16 until Oct. 30 and took the mantle from Ricketts a month after she signed with the Spirit in March.
The record for youngest goalscorer in league play specifically (the Challenge Cup doesn’t count toward the NWSL standings, but comes with a monetary price) is Olivia Moultrie, who was 16 years, 8 months and 28 days old when she scored for the Portland Thorns in 2022.
Young players like Ricketts and Barcenas are able to play professional soccer under the NWSL’s Under-18 Entry List, which allows teams to sign two players instead of drafting them if they meet certain criteria and with the consent of the players’ parent or legal guardian. The Spirit were the first team to use this rule when they signed Ricketts.
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