Personal information | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Anna Jessica Leat[1] | ||||||||||
Date of birth | 26 June 2001 | ||||||||||
Place of birth | Arrowtown, New Zealand[2] | ||||||||||
Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] | ||||||||||
Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||
Team information | |||||||||||
Current team | Aston Villa | ||||||||||
Number | 21 | ||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||
East Coast Bays | |||||||||||
Glenfield Rovers | |||||||||||
College career | |||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||
2019–2021 | Georgetown Hoyas | 18 | (0) | ||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||
2021–2022 | West Ham United | 4 | (0) | ||||||||
2022– | Aston Villa | 14 | (0) | ||||||||
International career‡ | |||||||||||
2016–2018 | New Zealand U17 | 12 | (0) | ||||||||
2018 | New Zealand U20 | 7 | (0) | ||||||||
2017– | New Zealand | 17[3] | (0) | ||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 May 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 31 May 2024 |
Anna Jessica Leat (born 26 June 2001) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for English Women's Super League club Aston Villa and the New Zealand women's national team.
Leat was born in Arrowtown.[4] She attended Rangitoto College in Auckland and was named the school's Sportswomen of the Year in 2017 and 2018.[5][6][7]
In February 2019, Leat started studying at Georgetown University and joined the Georgetown Hoyas as a freshman.[8] she would play 18 games, starting in 16 and only allowing 19 goals, helping the Hoyas to 10 wins.[5] She returned to New Zealand after the coronavirus pandemic began.[9]
Leat played for both East Coast Bays and Glenfield Rovers while at high school.[4][10] While playing for East Coast Bays, she became the first female to be named in a Chatham Cup squad in the 2021 edition.[11][12]
On 7 August 2021 it was announced that Leat had signed with West Ham United who play in the FA Women's Super League.[13] On 11 May 2022, West Ham United confirmed that Leat was not offered a new contract and would depart at the end of the season.[14]
On 13 July 2022 Aston Villa announced the signing of Leat for the 2022–23 season.[15] Leat made her Villa debut on 1 October 2022, in a FA Women's League Cup game against Manchester United. After the match ended in a 1–1 draw, Aston Villa won on penalties thanks to four saves by Leat.[16]
Leat made her senior starting début at 16 years old,[13] in a 5–0 win over Thailand on 28 November 2017.[17][7]
On 25 November 2018, Leat was part of the New Zealand U17 side who became the first New Zealand team in either women's or men's football to qualify for a semi-final at a World Cup. Leat helped the team win its quarter-final against Japan at the U-17 Women's World Cup in Uruguay by saving two penalties and scoring the winning goal.[2] Her final penalty goal won the public vote as the favourite sporting moment at the 2018 Halberg Awards.[18] The team would then lose 0–2 to Spain in the semi-final[19] but win New Zealand's first ever medal at a World Cup by beating Canada in the third place match.[20]
Leat has also played at the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Jordan,[21] the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in France,[22][23] the 2019 FFA Cup of Nations,[24] the 2020 Algarve Cup.[25] and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.[26]
Club | Season | League | Cup | Others[a] | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
West Ham United | 2021–22 | FAWSL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
Aston Villa | 2022–23 | FAWSL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
2023–24 | FAWSL | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
Total | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
Career total | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
New Zealand | 2017 | 3 | 0 |
2020 | 1 | 0 | |
2021 | 3 | 0 | |
2022 | 2 | 0 | |
2023 | 4 | 0 | |
2024 | 4 | 0 | |
Total | 17 | 0 |
New Zealand U-17
New Zealand
Individual