Sierra Marie Lelii (born May 4, 1993) is an American/Italian soccer player who plays as a striker/midfielder for Þróttur in the Icelandic top-tier Besta deild kvenna.

Sierra Lelii
Personal information
Full name Sierra Marie Lelii[1]
Date of birth (1993-05-04) May 4, 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth Seminole, Florida
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Striker/Winger
Team information
Current team
Þróttur
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2015 Nova Southeastern Sharks (35)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016 Orlando Pride 0 (0)
2016 Skövde KIK 6 (3)
2017 Þróttur 18 (7)
2019 Haukar 18 (9)
2021 SR 5 (2)
2022 0 (0)
2022 ÍH 5 (5)
2023 Þróttur 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 March 2023

Early life

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Born and raised in Seminole, Florida, Lelii attended Seminole High School where she scored 74 goals and recorded 40 assists during her high school career.[2] In January 2010, she helped the team win the Class 5A state title.[3][4]

College

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Lelii attended Nova Southeastern University between 2011 and 2015, playing four seasons for the Nova Southeastern Sharks in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC), injury redshirting in her junior year. As a senior in 2015, Lelii was an All-American and All-Region selection, winning multiple All-Conference awards including SSC Offensive Player of the Year. She set the new program single-season goals record and led the SSC in goals with 18.[3][5]

Playing career

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Orlando Pride

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Lelii was called into Orlando Pride preseason camp on March 14, 2016.[6][7] She played in all of the team's preseason games and was named to the amateur squad ahead of the 2016 season.[8][9] On July 10, 2016, Lelii was promoted to the first team roster following the temporary loss of six Pride players to their respective Olympic teams. She was named in the matchday squads for games against the Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars and Seattle Reign FC but did not play.[10]

Skövde

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In August 2016, Lelii signed with Skövde KIK, a non-league team in Skövde, Sweden. She made her debut for the club on August 20, scoring a goal and registering an assist in a 5–3 win over Skepplanda BTK.[11] In six appearances for the team, Lelii scored three goals and made five assists.[12]

Þróttur

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On March 16, 2017, Lelii signed with Icelandic 1. deild club Þróttur based in Reykjavík. She worked as a strength and conditioning coach alongside playing.[13]

Haukar

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In February 2019, Lelii joined fellow 1. deild club Haukar.[1]

In 2021, Lelii signed with Skautafélag Reykjavíkur of the Icelandic 2. deild.[14]

Þróttur

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In January 2023, Lelii signed with Þróttur again.[15]

Career statistics

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Club Season League Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Orlando Pride 2016 NWSL 0 0 0 0 0 0
Skövde KIK 2016 Div 1 Norra Götaland 6 3 0 0 6 3
Þróttur 2017 1. deild 18 7 3 2 21 9
Haukar 2019 18 9 2 2 20 11
Career total 42 19 5 4 47 23

References

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  1. ^ a b "Leikmaður - Sierra Marie Lelii". www.ksi.is (in Icelandic).
  2. ^ "Sierra Lelii". Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Encina, Eduardo (January 7, 2011). "Seminole's Lelii commits to Nova Southeastern". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  4. ^ "One goal enough to earn East Lake spot vs. Seminole". Tampa Bay Times. January 21, 2010. Archived from the original on January 26, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  5. ^ Parsons, Mark (October 14, 2015). "Florida Tech women fall to Nova Southeastern". Florida Today. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  6. ^ "Orlando Pride training camp". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  7. ^ "NWSL teams release 2016 preseason rosters". The Equalizer. March 14, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  8. ^ "Former Shark Star Lelii Vying for Pro Roster Spot with Pride". Nova Southeastern University. April 4, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  9. ^ "Orlando Pride Preseason Win Streak Continues with 3-0 Victory at USF". Women's Soccer United. March 30, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  10. ^ "Former NSU Star Sierra Lelii Promoted to Orlando Pride Roster". Sunshine State Conference. July 11, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  11. ^ Prytz, Jens (August 20, 2016). "Klar seger för Lidköpings FK". Sveriges Radio. Sverige Radio. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  12. ^ "Sierra Lelii - Lagstatistik". www.lagstatistik.se.
  13. ^ Edvardsson, Ótthar (March 16, 2017). "Tveir nýir leikmenn í meistaraflokk kvenna". Knattspyrnufélagið Þróttur (in Icelandic).
  14. ^ "Spá þjálfara og fyrirliða í 2. deild kvenna: 11. sæti". Fótbolti.net (in Icelandic). May 4, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  15. ^ Hjörtur Leó Guðjónsson (January 24, 2023). "Sierra Lelii gengin til liðs við Þrótt á ný". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved March 31, 2023.
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