Somers Native Amanda DaCosta to Play Pro Soccer in England

Somers native Amanda DaCosta, 23, has signed to play professional soccer for the Liverpool Ladies in the Women’s Super League in England.

"I am thrilled to be playing for a club with such a unique culture and history," DaCosta said. "Being surrounded by the standard of excellence here at Liverpool is an amazing opportunity for any footballer, and I am eager to start the season with my new teammates,”

The team's first game on March 23 is played at home – at the 13,000-capacity Halton Stadium, located between Liverpool and Manchester in the northwest of England – against archrival Everton and the Merseyside Derby. The game will be broadcast by ESPN.

DaCosta's signing was announced on Jan. 30.

"Being raised by European parents, I was always infatuated with not only the game itself, but the culture surrounding it as well," the woman said. "Liverpool Football Club is one of the oldest clubs in history, and the chance to be in a country where the game is loved so much is a really amazing opportunity that I would have been crazy to pass up."

The woman began her soccer career at an early age – she was playing for the Somers Strikers. Her father was her coach and the field was just down the street from her home.

At 14, she played with the Monroe Magic and later played varsity soccer for five years at Somers High School. She earned All-Section and All-League honors four times, while receiving league MVP accolades twice during her junior and senior years.

The honor roll student also received the Con Edison Award, North County News Player of the Year and Journal News Player of the Year accolades, all as a senior. She was also named to the Parade All-American team and led the Tuskers to the league championship four times. 

DaCosta attended Florida State University on an athletic scholarship where she continued on the honor roll and was a four-year starter in Tallahassee, receiving four All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors, the most in Seminoles’ history. Her favorite memory on the soccer field was scoring the game-winning goal as a freshman against Notre Dame to lead FSU to the national championship game.

She spent her summers playing with Soccer Plus Connecticut of the Women’s Premier Soccer League in 2008, the Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues of the W-League in 2009, Magic Jack in 2011 and the Boston Breakers of WPSL Elite last year.

Liverpool Ladies coach Matt Beard called his athlete "an energetic attacking central midfielder."

"She has great feet and will be a great asset to Liverpool Ladies," he said.

When not playing in Liverpool this year, the athlete can be found blogging about her experiences at www.EqualizerSoccer.com and www.TribalFootball.com. You can follow her on Twitter @ADacosta13. 

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