Heather O'Reilly

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.

2010: Tied Carla Overbeck for a U.S. record by playing in 62 consecutive matches in a streak that dates to 2007… Played in all 18 matches for the USA, starting 17, while scoring two goals with six assists … Scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory against China in Kennesaw, Ga., in October and scored in a 4-0 triumph against Germany in May … With 27 career goals at the end of 2010, she moved into the list of top-15 all-time goal scorers in U.S. history … Played in all five matches at the CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifying tournament while registering three assists … Started both legs against Italy in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup playoff series … 2009: Played in all eight matches for the WNT, starting seven, and had a team-leading three assists … Moved into the top 25 in all-time caps … 2008: Had her best scoring year ever for the WNT (10 goals, 10 assists), becoming just the sixth female player in U.S. history to tally double figures in goals and assists in a calendar year … In 2008, she more than doubled her career assists … Started 33 of the 36 matches she played, leading the team in games played, while earning her minutes almost entirely at flank midfield … Scored against Italy at the Peace Queen Cup in South Korea … Got a key goal in the victory against Costa Rica during Olympic Qualifying that sent the USA to China … Started all six games at the Olympics, and was second leading scorer for the USA with two goals and three assists … She got a goal in the first round win again New Zealand, which was the fastest goal in Olympics history coming just 40 seconds into the game … Also scored in the Olympic semifinal against Japan, where she also had two assists to Angela Hucles … Had a huge assist in the quarterfinal win against Canada … Scored the winning goal in the USA’s final match of the year, a 1-0 victory against China in Detroit … Scored four times on the USA’s Achieve Your Gold Tour following the Olympics … 2007: Played in 22 games, starting 15, and had her best-ever scoring year to date with seven goals … Scored twice at the 2007 Women’s World Cup, including a crucial tying goal against Korea DPR in the first match of the tournament … Played in all six games at the WWC, starting five … Also scored against Norway in the third-place match … Scored one of her best-ever goals on a blast against Canada on May 12 … Also scored against England at the Four Nations Tournament in January … 2006: Played in 14 matches, starting 11 and scored three goals … Played in three matches at the Four Nations Tournament, starting one … Had an excellent tournament in starting all four matches at the Algarve Cup, and played 90 minutes for the first time against Denmark, a match in which she scored twice ... It was the first two-goal game of her career … Also scored against Ireland … 2005: Played in all four matches at the Algarve Cup, starting one, which was her first start since breaking her leg in June of 2003 … Played in seven matches during the year, starting three, and scored one goal, that against Ukraine in Portland, Ore. … 2004: Named U.S. Soccer’s Young Female Athlete of the Year … Played in 12 matches off the bench, and made a late run during the Olympic Residency Camp to earn a spot on the roster for Greece … Picked up two assists in her first match after being named to the Olympic roster during a 3-1 win against Australia … Scored one of the most important goals in U.S. history in overtime against Germany in the Olympic semifinal off an assist from Mia Hamm to help the USA to a 2-1 win … 2003: Earned 10 caps and scored two goals, but suffered a broken fibula in her left leg on June 14 against Ireland in Salt Lake City just 74 seconds into the game after colliding with the Irish goalkeeper while scoring her third full national team goal … Did not recover sufficiently in time to make the Women’s World Cup Team … 2002: Played in eight games, including her debut against Sweden at the Algarve Cup, and scored her first full international goal against Italy at the Nike U.S. Women’s Cup in Cary, N.C. …At the age of 17, she earned four caps at the Algarve Cup in Portugal in March of 2002, playing against Sweden, England, Norway and Denmark … Youth National Teams: A key player on the USA’s 2002 U-19 World Championship team, she played a part in the golden goal against Canada in the USA’s 1-0 win in the championship game, keeping a cross alive with a hard near post run before Lindsey Tarpley finished it to end the game … She scored 18 goals in 18 U-19 internationals … A member of the 2002 Under-19 CONCACAF Qualifying Team, she helped the USA qualify for the 2002 FIFA Under-19 Women’s World Championship, playing in all three matches and scoring seven goals with four assists ... A member of the USA’s 2005 U-21 Nordic Cup title team, scoring four goals in four matches including one in the championship game win against Norway … First Appearance: March 1, 2002, vs. Sweden … First Goal: Oct. 6, 2002, vs. Italy.
2010: In 2010, she started all 22 games she played in for Sky Blue while playing every minute of those games … Scored one goal with a team-leading five assists and was named to the WPS All-Star Team … 2009: Allocated to Sky Blue FC in her home state of New Jersey for the inaugural WPS season in 2009 … Played every minute in each of her 17 matches during the regular season, helping Sky Blue to a fourth place finish in the league and the final playoff berth … She then helped lead Sky Blue to an emotional three-game playoff run, winning all three matches on the road, and scored the winning goal in the WPS championship game victory against Los Angeles … Named MVP of the WPS championship game, but in the post-game interview, deferred the honor to Christie Rampone … Youth: Played 1994-1999 for the East Brunswick Dynamite, then switched to the PDA Splash two years and the PDA Torpedoes for one year …Won state titles with the Dynamite in 1994 and 1995 and with the Splash in 2001.

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.

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