Lucas Meek (born March 7, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays as an forward for Western Suburbs in the New Zealand Central League.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | March 7, 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Mercer Island, Washington, United States | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger, forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Western Suburbs | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Eastside FC | |||
| –2017 | Seattle Sounders FC | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2022 | Washington Huskies | 68 | (26) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018 | OSA FC | ||
| 2022 | Ballard FC | 0 | (0) |
| 2022 | Everett Jets | ||
| 2023 | Inter Miami II | 22 | (4) |
| 2023 | Inter Miami | 0 | (0) |
| 2024– | Western Suburbs | 17 | (17) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 3, 2024 | |||
Career
editYouth, college and amateur
editMeek attended Mercer Island High School, where mixed varsity soccer with club soccer at both Eastside FC[1] and later the Seattle Sounders FC academy.[2]
In 2017, Meek attended the University of Washington to play college soccer.[3] He redshirted his freshman season due to injury and only made one appearance in 2018, but went on to make 48 appearances for the Huskies during his initial college career, scoring 16 goals and tallying 13 assists. In 2021, Meek was named to the 2021 All-Region Second Team, the 2021 All-Pac-12 Second Team, and the 2021 Scholar All-American Second Team.[4]
While at college, Meek also appeared in the National Premier Soccer League with OSA FC.[5][6][7]
On January 11, 2022, Meek was selected 37th overall in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft by Inter Miami CF.[8][9][10] However, a week prior Meek suffered a torn meniscus that required surgery.[11] Instead of playing professionally in 2022, Meek returned to Washington to play another season of college soccer. He had a standout season, scoring ten goals in 20 games and adding a further eight assists.[4] He earned numerous accolades, including Pac-12 All-Conference First Team and United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region First Team, as well as Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.[12][13][14]
Meek also spent time in 2022 organizing a 64-team, 5v5 charity soccer tournament for the ALS Association.[11][15]
In 2022, Meek was named to the USL League Two side Ballard FC's roster but didn't make an appearance.[16]
Meek later played for Everett Jets FC of the Evergreen Premier League in 2022, helping them to their first playoff appearance and scoring 1 goal.[17]
Professional
editOn March 22, 2023, it was announced that Meek had signed his first professional contract with MLS Next Pro side Inter Miami CF II.[18][19] On September 8, 2023, Meek signed a short-term deal to play with Miami's Major League Soccer side.[20]
Following his release from Miami at the end of the 2023 season, Meek signed with New Zealand Central League side Western Suburbs.[21] He scored four first-half goals on his debut against Island Bay United.[22]
References
edit- ^ "Historic College Season for Alum Lucas Meek". Eastside FC. Nov 2, 2021. Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ FC, Seattle Sounders. "Eight Seattle Sounders Academy players commit to college programs on National Signing Day | Seattle Sounders". Seattle Sounders FC. Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ "Meek will play collegiate soccer for the Huskies". Mercer Island Reporter. Jul 10, 2017. Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ a b "Washington Huskies". Washington Huskies. Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ "First Overall Pick and NPSL Alum Ben Bender Leads the Way in MLS SuperDraft 2022". Jan 12, 2022. Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ "Alumni – OSA Seattle FC". Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ "OSA Seattle FC 2018 Roster". www.osaseattlefc.bonzidev.com. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ "Inter Miami CF Selects Sailor, Meek, Ingram and Bagley in MLS SuperDraft 2022 Presented by adidas | Inter Miami CF". intermiamicf. Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ WA, DEI Creative in Seattle; Willems, Adam (Jan 20, 2022). "Mercer Island soccer star Lucas Meek will go pro". Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ Daily, Luka Kučan The (Jan 11, 2022). "Five Huskies selected in first two rounds of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft". The Daily of the University of Washington. Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ a b "How UW men's soccer star Lucas Meek turned an injury setback into meaningful change". The Seattle Times. Apr 8, 2022. Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ "Lucas Meek Named Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete Of The Year". pac-12.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ "Lucas Meek on No. 1 Washington: 'We don't feel like we're going to lose any game we step into'". Yahoo Sports. Oct 7, 2022. Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ "Washington Huskies". Washington Huskies. Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ "A big heart reaps big rewards". Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ "Ballard FC - 2022 Regular Season - Roster - #26 - Lucas Meek - M". www.uslleaguetwo.com. Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Standings & Stats". 6 April 2022.
- ^ "Inter Miami CF II Unveils Full 2023 Roster and Technical Staff | Inter Miami CF". intermiamicf. Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ "Lucas Meek | MLSsoccer.com". mlsnextpro. Retrieved Jun 24, 2023.
- ^ "Inter Miami CF Signs Cameron Johnson and Lucas Meek on Short-Term Agreements from Inter Miami CF II | Inter Miami CF".
- ^ "PREVIEW: Western Suburbs and Miramar Rangers away to flying starts". Friends of Football. 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "RESULTS: Saturday's winners, scorers and latest league tables". Friends of Football. 2024-03-30. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
External links
edit- Lucas Meek at Soccerway