Heather O'Reilly
- U.S. National Team: WNT
- Position: Midfielder
- Date Of Birth: Jan. 2, 1985
- Height: 5-5
- Hometown: East Brunswick, N.J.
- Club: Sky Blue FC
Displaying one of the best work rates in the world, O’Reilly has been thundering up and down the right flank for the U.S. team since 2002 when she was only 17. At the beginning of this year she broke the U.S. record for most consecutive games played with 63. She had an excellent 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, scoring twice including a key goal in the opening match draw against North Korea, and in the past four years has developed into one of the team leaders.
As a senior she had a dream season, leading North Carolina to its 18th NCAA women's championship with a 2-1 victory against top-ranked and previously unbeaten Notre Dame … The Tar Heels finished with 27 successive wins (27-1-0) after a season-opening loss in overtime at Texas A&M, tying the school record for victories in a season … Acored in the semifinal victory against UCLA and in the national championship game, earning Offensive MVP honors … Scored 12 goals with 16 assists as a senior, ending her college career with 59 career goals and 49 assists for 167 points, including 15 goals and 14 assists in the NCAA tournament, tying Mia Hamm for second place in Carolina history and ending fourth all-time in NCAA playoff history … Won the prestigious NCAA Honda-Broderick Award as a senior … Also a three-time nominee for the award … Named a Hermann Trophy finalist for the second time as a senior … Won the NCAA Top VIII Award, given to NCAA athletes based on athletic and academic achievements … Named the 2006 Soccer America Women’s Player of the Year … Was the ESPN the Magazine All-Academic Player of the Year as a senior at UNC … As a junior, she helped lead UNC to a 23-1-1 record with a team-leading 18 goals and 11 assists … Started all 24 games in which she played and earned ACC Offensive Player of the Year honors as well as Second-Team NSCAA All-American honors … Also named First-Team All-ACC for the second year in a row … An ACC All-Academic Team selection and was named ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American … Had a great sophomore season after which she was named First-Team NSCAA All-American and First-Team All-ACC … Finished as UNC’s leading scorer with 37 points (13 goals and 11 assists), despite missing the first two matches of the season while playing with the Olympic Team … A finalist for the prestigious NCAA Honda Award … Led the Tar Heels to a 20-1-2 record overall, the ACC regular season championship, a consensus No. 1 finish in all four national polls at the close of the regular season and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament … Came on strong to have a stellar freshman season at UNC after the recovery from her broken leg hampered her early in the season … Played in 25 games for the Tar Heels, starting 20, and scored 16 goals with 11 assists for 43 points, good for third on the team … Scored in all six of her team’s NCAA playoff matches to help lead UNC to the NCAA Championship and a perfect 27-0-0 record … Scored twice in the NCAA title game and once in the semifinal and was named Offensive MVP of the Final Four … Named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team … Broke the UNC record for goals in an NCAA Tournament with eight and she added two assists for 18 points … Scored 13 of her 16 goals in the final 12 games of the season … Named to the All-ACC Second Team and was an NSCAA Third-Team All-American … High School: Attended East Brunswick High School in her hometown of East Brunswick, N.J., which is Exit 9 off the Jersey Turnpike … One of the finest players in New Jersey history, she was All-Conference, All-County and All-State all four years … EBHS MVP as a freshman, sophomore and junior … The New Jersey Player of the Year for 2001 as a junior … An NSCAA All-American in four times from 1999 to 2003 … A Parade All-American in 2001 as a junior when she led the Lady Bears to the state title … She was a Parade All-American and the Parade National Player of the Year as a senior … Was also the Gatorade National High School Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year … Was Soccer America’s No. 1 college recruit in the country … Scored 143 goals in her high school career.
Full name is Heather Ann O’Reilly … Nickname is “HAO” (her initials pronounced HEY-oh) … Majored in education at North Carolina … Graduated from UNC in the winter of 2009 after completing her student teaching requirements … Played point guard for her high school varsity basketball team as freshman, junior and senior … Her youth club, PDA in New Jersey, named a girls’ team after her called PDA O’Reilly … Gives considerable credit to PDA for helping develop her as a player and to this day considers it her soccer home … Father Andy was a three-time All-American in track at Villanova in the early 1970s … Brother Kevin ran cross-country and track at the Air Force Academy … Biggest sports thrills include winning two Olympic gold medals, winning the Under-19 World Championship in Canada in 2002, defeating Canada in front of almost 50,000 fans in the final, and two NCAA titles at UNC, including one in her senior year ... Favorite book is “Tuesdays With Morrie” ... Favorite food is cereal ... Favorite movie is “The Shawshank Redemption” ... Her favorite color is Carolina Blue … Has a small white cockapoo named Sugar … Hobbies include reading, watching movies and following UNC athletics … Has an enormous sweet tooth … Resides in New York City and enjoys hanging out and exploring new restaurants in the Big Apple… Engaged to be married to former North Carolina lacrosse player Dave Werry in the fall of 2011 … Has three older brothers whom she credits for getting her into sports … Enjoys working with kids, especially in her volunteer with America SCORES, a soccer program with the purpose of providing boys and girls with an alternative to spending after-school time on the streets. … Has a website at www.oreillysoccer.com.

