Born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, to Robert and Melissa Mewis,[2] Samantha grew up in Hanson, Massachusetts, where she attended Whitman-Hanson Regional High School and played on the soccer team, tallying 77 goals and 34 assists during her time there.[7] She grew up with her older sister Kristie, playing soccer for numerous youth teams, including club team, Scorpions SC, as well as the under-17 and under-20 United States national teams.[8][9][10] Mewis earned Parade All-American honors twice during her high school years and was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America national player of the year in 2010.[11] In 2011, she was named Gatorade Massachusetts Girls Soccer Player of the Year for the second time after receiving the accolade previously for 2009–10.[12][13] The same year, she was named ESPN RISE All-American after scoring 30 goals and serving 8 assists during her senior year.[14]
Mewis (top) celebrating the 2012 FIFA U20 Women's World Cup win with Vanessa DiBernardo, Mollie Pathman and Kelly Cobb
UCLA Bruins
In her first year, Mewis was second on the team in scoring with six goals and seven assists, only bested by current United States women's national soccer team member Sydney Leroux and was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. Due to national team commitments, Sam missed the first six games of her second season, but finished the year with three goals and three assists in 16 games.[2] In her junior year, Mewis helped UCLA win the Pac-12 championship on the way to its first NCAA Championship.[15] In December 2014, she was named the winner of the 2015 Honda Award for soccer by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).[16][17]
Club career
Pali Blues
In 2013, Mewis signed with the Pali Blues in the W-League.[5] The team won the western conference title[18] as well as the national championship in July 2013.[19]
In the 2016 season, Mewis missed several games as she was away training with the U.S. WNT in preparations for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The Western New York Flash finished fourth in the standings and qualified for the play-offs. In the semi-final, Mewis scored a goal in the 16th minute helping the Western New York Flash to upset the Shield winning Portland Thorns. In the NWSL Championship game Mewis once again scored a goal. The Championship game went to penalties, Mewis missed her penalty but the flash went on to win the Championship, winning the penalty shootout 3–2.[24]
North Carolina Courage, 2017–2020
It was announced on January 9, 2017, that the Western New York Flash was officially sold to new ownership, moved to North Carolina,[25] and rebranded as the North Carolina Courage.
Mewis had a very successful 2017 season, as she appeared in every game for the Courage, tallying 6 goals and 3 assists. She was named to the NWSL Best XI and was a finalist for the NWSL Most Valuable Player Award.[26]
Mewis missed the beginning of the 2018 season as she was recovering from a knee injury. She appeared in 17 regular season games, as the Courage won their second consecutive NWSL Shield. In the play-offs, Mewis was in the starting line-up for the semi-final match against the Chicago Red Stars and scored a goal in the 86th minute. North Carolina won 2–0 and advanced to their second straight championship game. She played all 90 minutes in the NWSL Championship game as the Courage defeated the Portland Thorns 3–0. Mewis has now won two NWSL Championships.[6]
Due to her participation in the 2019 World Cup, Mewis only appeared in 12 regular season games for the Courage in 2019.[27] North Carolina won the NWSL Shield for the third consecutive season. They advanced to the final after defeating Reign FC in the semi-final. Mewis scored a goal in the championship game as North Carolina defeated the Chicago Red Stars 4–0 to win their second consecutive NWSL Championship.[28]
On November 30, 2021, Mewis was traded to Kansas City Current in exchange for Kiki Pickett and the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft.[36] After undergoing arthroscopic surgery following the 2021 Olympics, Mewis played in two Challenge Cup games for the Current in March 2022, but did not play for the remainder of the season.[37] She had a second knee surgery in January 2023 where cartilage donor grafts were placed in her knee, resulting in her missing the full 2023 NWSL season.[38]
Following the 2023 season, Mewis announced her long-term knee injury would result in retirement from professional soccer.[39]
On January 24, 2014, Mewis was named for the first time to the senior national team roster for friendlies against Canada and Russia.[42][43] She made her debut for the team at the 2014 Algarve Cup during the team's second match of the tournament, a 1–0 loss to Sweden.[44]
After a spell out of the team, Mewis was invited back to the senior team following their success at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. She continued to get regular playing time, scoring four goals in 2016 including the winning goal against Germany in the 2016 She Believes Cup that won the United States the trophy. Mewis was named as an alternate to the U.S. women's national team for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[45]
In 2017, Mewis was one of three players to appear in every game for the U.S. women's national team. She played 1,242 minutes, which placed her at second highest minutes on the team. She scored three goals and was a finalist for 2017 U.S. Female Player of the Year.[46]
Mewis suffered a knee cartilage injury in a November 2017 game against Canada which sidelined her for six months, forcing her to miss the 2018 SheBelieves Cup. Mewis returned to the field for the U.S. in June 2018 in a friendly against China.[47] In September 2018 she was named to the final 20 player roster of the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship.[48]
In May 2019, Mewis was named to the final 23-player roster for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.[49] She played in 6 out of 7 matches, including the final, and scored two goals, both as part of a 13–0 group stage victory over Thailand.[50] The United States won the 2019 World Cup after defeating the Netherlands 2–0.
In 2020, Mewis played in 8 of the 9 matches for the US, started 6 matches, and scored 4 goals.[51] In December 2020, Mewis was named the 2020 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year for the first time. She is the 17th player to win the award.[51]
On January 18, 2021, Mewis scored her first career hat-trick for either club or country in a 4–0 friendly win against Colombia. Her sister Kristie scored the only other goal.[52] Mewis was a member of the bronze medal winning US team at the Olympics in August 2021.
Mewis underwent knee cartilage surgeries in 2021 and 2023, resulting in an extended absence from the national team.[38]
On January 19, 2024, Mewis announced her retirement from professional soccer due to her long-term knee injury.[39] Her final appearance for the United States senior national team was against Australia in the bronze medal match of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on August 5, 2021. She scored her 24th and final international goal six days prior in a match against the Netherlands on July 30, 2021 in the quaterfinal round of the tournament.[53]
Following the United States' win at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, Mewis and her teammates were honored with a ticker tape parade in New York City. Each player received a key to the city from Mayor Bill de Blasio. After winning the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, Mewis revealed that while she was young, her father, Bob Mewis, would pick up side jobs to be able to afford her and her sister's soccer expenses.
After announcing her retirement in January 2024, Mewis began hosting The Women's Game podcast, which is part of the Men in Blazers digital network. [58]
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