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Alexandra Kimball

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Alexandra Amalia Kimball-Suarez (born September 21, 1995) is a Peruvian-American soccer coach and player. Born and raised in the United States, she has represented Peru at the international level. She played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels before being drafted by Utah Royals FC in the 2019 NWSL College Draft.

Alexandra Kimball
Kimball with North Carolina in 2015
Personal information
Full name Alexandra Amalia Kimball-Suarez
Date of birth (1995-09-21) September 21, 1995 (age 29)[1]
Place of birth Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder, striker
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2018 North Carolina Tar Heels 91 (9)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
FC Austin Elite
Real Salt Lake Women
2019 Utah Royals FC 0 (0)
2022 North Carolina Courage U23 1 (0)
International career‡
2022– Peru 8 (0)
Managerial career
2023 North Carolina Tar Heels (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of November 14, 2022

Early life

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Kimball was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Melissa Suarez and Steven Kimball, the oldest of four children.[1] She is of half-Peruvian descent.[2] She began playing soccer at age two or three.[3][4] Her family moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, when she was eight, and she aspired to play for the North Carolina Tar Heels from a young age.[4][5] She played youth soccer for Triangle United and the Capital Area Soccer League.[3][6] She attended Chapel Hill High School, where she led the soccer team to its first state championship in 2014, being named the most valuable player of the title game and the News & Observer player of the year.[7][8]

College career

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Kimball made 91 appearances for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 2014 to 2018, recording nine goals and seven assists while appearing as a substitute for most of her career.[1] She struggled with injury and required surgery for a hip labral tear before the 2016 season, when she helped reach the NCAA semifinals, then took a medical redshirt in 2017.[1][3]

Late in her redshirt senior year in 2018, Kimball became the starting center forward following an injury to Alessia Russo. She scored a career-high four goals that year, including two game winners against Virginia Tech in both the ACC and NCAA tournament.[1][9] Named to the ACC all-tournament team, she helped the Tar Heels reach the conference and national finals, scoring in the conference title game but losing both finals to Florida State.[1][10]

Club career

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While in college, Kimball played during summers for United Women's Soccer clubs FC Austin Elite and Real Salt Lake Women.[11]

Kimball trained with Utah Royals FC as a non-rostered player in 2018. Following her college career, she was drafted by the Royals with the 32nd overall pick in the fourth round of the 2019 NWSL College Draft.[12] She was signed as a national team replacement player for Becky Sauerbrunn during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.[13]

Kimball tore her ACL while training with Racing Louisville FC as a non-rostered player in the 2021 preseason.[14]

Kimball made one appearance for the North Carolina Courage U23 during the 2022 USL W League season.[15]

Kimball represented the US Women, composed mostly of youth and former national team players, at the Soccer Tournament in 2023 and 2024, helping win the women's event the second year.[16][17]

Kimball scored four goals at the 2024 National Amateur Cup en route to winning the women's title with Pan World Elite WFC of Utah.[18]

International career

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Kimball made her senior international debut for Peru in a friendly game against Mexico on June 25, 2022. She was selected to the Peruvian roster for the 2022 Copa América Femenina, where she started the first two matches of the group stage.[19]

Coaching career

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After being injured in 2019–20, Kimball worked in sports facilities in Salt Lake City. In 2021, she worked for the Utah Avalanche youth soccer club and was an assistant coach at Bonneville High School.[20] She also organized an online six-week training course for teenage girls' soccer players that year.[4][21]

After being a volunteer assistant coach, Kimball was hired in 2022 as the director of team development for her alma mater North Carolina Tar Heels, working in community outreach and recruiting. She was promoted to assistant coach the following season, serving from August to November 2023. The Assembly reported that the university investigated Kimball for an alleged relationship with one of her players.[20][22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Alex Kimball – Women's Soccer". North Carolina Tar Heels. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  2. ^ Swanson, Shelby (October 15, 2023). "Q&A: UNC women's soccer assistant coach Alex Kimball discusses Peruvian heritage". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Marks, Trevor (May 18, 2019). "Incan Royalty in the Wasatch Front: Alex Kimball's Journey from the NCAA to NWSL". Medium. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Hackett, Tom (February 8, 2021). "Former Utah Royal Launches 'Ultimate Virtual Soccer Training For Female Athletes'". KSL Sports. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  5. ^ Howlett, Dylan (August 14, 2014). "Women's soccer adapts to change". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  6. ^ "Triangle United Alumni Wall". Triangle United. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021.
  7. ^ Lee, Amanda (May 31, 2014). "Last minute score lifts Chapel Hill to girls soccer title". HighSchoolOT.com. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  8. ^ Blake, J. Mike (June 23, 2014). "The 2013–14 high school athletics year in review". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019.
  9. ^ Fowler, Chapel (October 28, 2018). "How Alex Kimball turned an ACC Tournament opportunity into a game to remember". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
    Keyes, Brian (November 18, 2018). "Alex Kimball brings the energy UNC women's soccer needed to secure 3–0 win over VT". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  10. ^ Scovel, Shannon (December 3, 2018). "Women's college soccer: Florida State beats North Carolina 1-0 for 2018 College Cup title". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  11. ^ "2019 NWSL College Draft Recap". United Women's Soccer. January 10, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  12. ^ Vejar, Alex (January 10, 2019). "Utah Royals make three selections in NWSL College Draft". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  13. ^ "Utah Royals FC Signs Strom-Okimoto, Cox and Kimball for Duration of 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup". Utah Royals. May 3, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  14. ^ Morgan, Bekki (November 5, 2021). "Taking Over: An Interview with Emily Fox of the USWNT and Racing Louisville". bgn.fm. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021.
  15. ^ "NC Courage U23 – Alexandra Kimball". USL W League. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023.
  16. ^ Bynum, R.L. (May 17, 2023). "Hamm-coached team with 10 UNC alums to vie for $1 million at Cary 7-on-7 event". Tar Heel Tribune. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  17. ^ "Dellarose Named MVP, US Women Win TST 2024". North Carolina Tar Heels. June 11, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  18. ^ "Alexandra Kimball of Pan World Elite WFC receives a medal after the..." Getty Images. August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  19. ^ "Alexandra Kimball National Team Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Alexandra Kimball". North Carolina Tar Heels. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  21. ^ Garrett, Catherine (February 22, 2021). "Former Royals player highlights online soccer training". The City Journals. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  22. ^ Hartman, Matt (March 31, 2024). "Is the Long Reign of UNC Women's Soccer Over?". The Assembly. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
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