Fiona O'Sullivan

Fiona O'Sullivan

Playing for Ireland in November 2012
Personal information
Date of birth17 September 1986
Place of birthSan Geronimo, California, United States
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing positionStriker
Club information
Current team
Notts County
Youth career
2004–2007San Francisco Dons
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2006–2007Sonoma County Sol
2009–2010California Storm
2010Chicago Red Stars0(0)
2010AIK Fotboll Dam7(2)
2011Piteå IF9(1)
2011→ Kvarnsvedens IK (loan)10(12)
2011–2012ASJ Soyaux9(4)
2012–2014SC Freiburg30(12)
2014–Notts County
National team‡
2009–Republic of Ireland28(11)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:15, 27 June 2014 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:15, 27 June 2014 (UTC)

Fiona O'Sullivan (born 17 September 1986) is a soccer striker who represents the Republic of Ireland women's national football team and the English FA WSL team Notts County. Before moving to England in June 2014, she had played for clubs in the United States, Sweden, France and Germany. O'Sullivan is described by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) as a strong, imposing attacker.[1]

Early life

O'Sullivan was raised in Marin, California where she began playing soccer as a youth. In four seasons with the varsity team at Sir Francis Drake High School, O'Sullivan finished as the team's top-scorer three times and league top-scorer twice.[2] She was captain of the squad that made it to the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) finals. O'Sullivan holds the record for career goals at the school.[3]

University of San Francisco

O'Sullivan attended the University of San Francisco from 2004 to 2007. She scored a total of eight goals for the San Francisco Dons in her four seasons there.[4] Her most successful varsity campaign was 2006, as she finished team top-scorer with five goals despite missing half the season with a knee injury. This included a hat trick against the San Jose State Spartans.[5] In 2007, during her senior year at San Francisco, O'Sullivan captained the squad and was the team's leading goal scorer.[3] Although the Dons generally performed poorly during O'Sullivan's tenure, she was praised by the team coach and identified as someone who could play at a higher level.[2]

Club career

United States

While still at the University of San Francisco, O'Sullivan featured for Sonoma County Sol in the WPSL.[6] After graduation she turned out for California Storm.[2]

In the 2010 WPS Draft, O'Sullivan was selected by the Chicago Red Stars,[5] but after attending their preseason training camp, was released from the initial 26–player roster in March 2010.[7] O'Sullivan had previously accepted a call up to play for the Irish national team and travelled away with the Irish despite the Red Stars coach Emma Hayes asking her to stay and compete for her spot.[8]

Instead O'Sullivan played the 2010 season with the California Storm, alongside soccer legends Brandi Chastain and Sissi.[9] Seven goals in ten games[10] saw O'Sullivan named to the all–league second team.[11]

Europe

O'Sullivan signed a contract with Damallsvenskan club AIK Fotboll Dam in July 2010.[11] After scoring two goals in seven games for AIK, O'Sullivan switched to Damallsvenskan newcomers Piteå IF in January 2011.[12] Nine games for Piteå IF yielded one goal, before O'Sullivan was sent to Kvarnsvedens IK of Division 1 on loan in June 2011.[13]

In December 2011 O'Sullivan left Sweden for French Division 1 Féminine club ASJ Soyaux.[14] In the second half of the 2011–12 Division 1 Féminine season she contributed four goals in nine league games for Soyaux, as well as one in her single Coupe de France Féminine appearance,[15] but the club finished in 11th place in the table and were relegated. This left O'Sullivan looking for a new club: "I thought if I go down with this team, I could lose a couple of years in my career playing in a second tier division when I felt like I should be playing in a higher one."[8]

O'Sullivan signed for SC Freiburg of the Frauen Bundesliga in July 2012.[16] Finding conditions in Freiburg more congenial than those in Sweden and France, she described Germany as a good fit.[8] She made a strong start to the season, before the untimely death of her mother and a knee injury derailed her progress.[17] Freiburg finished fifth in the 2012–13 Bundesliga table, as O'Sullivan scored six goals in 13 appearances.[18]

In June 2014, O'Sullivan scored a hat-trick in Freiburg's 7–2 win over BV Cloppenburg. It was her final game for the club, as she transferred to Notts County of the FA WSL later that month.[19]

O'Sullivan wrote her name in Notts County lore when she marked her debut with a televised equalising goal against Arsenal Ladies, wheeling away in delight to milk the acclaim of the Lady Pies faithful.

International career

O'Sullivan's father Aidan is from Bantry, Ireland while her grandmother is a Native American Indian.[20] On the advice of her boyfriend, O'Sullivan sent an email to the FAI advising them of her eligibility for the Republic of Ireland women's national football team.[21][22] She made her debut against FC Indiana during Ireland's summer 2009 training camp in the United States.[21]

Strong performances followed in Ireland's qualifying games for the 2011 World Cup.[21] In August 2010, after O'Sullivan scored a hat–trick against Israel and took her total to six goals in five games, she was hailed as "a revelation".[22] O'Sullivan was named FAI International Player of the Year in February 2011.[23]

After the initial flurry of goals O'Sullivan's form deteriorated and coach Susan Ronan eventually left her out of a squad in 2012. Ronan later recalled O'Sullivan and praised her response to being dropped: "she has come back stronger, hungrier and fitter than she's ever been, so credit to her".[24] O'Sullivan scored another goal against Israel in Ireland's final 2013 UEFA Women's Championship qualifier. The Irish won 2–0 in Ramat Gan but were already out of contention for a place at the finals.

O'Sullivan missed Ireland's 2013 Cyprus Cup campaign with a knee injury sustained while training with her German club.[25] In June 2013 she hit both goals as Ireland recovered from 2–0 down to draw 2–2 in a friendly with Austria at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin.[26]

International goals

Scores and results list Ireland's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Result Competition Scored
1 24 September 2009 Turners Cross, Cork  Kazakhstan 2–1 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual. 1
3 21 March 2010 Ness Ziona Stadium, Ness Ziona  Israel 3–0 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual. 2
6 25 August 2010 Carlisle Grounds, Bray  Israel 3–0 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual. 3
7 19 September 2012 Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan  Israel 2–0 2013 UEFA Women's Championship Qual. 1
9 18 June 2013 Tallaght Stadium, Dublin  Austria 2–2 Friendly 2
10 30 October 2013 Ob Jezeru City Stadium, Velenje  Slovenia 2–0 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual. 1
11 7 May 2014 Tallaght Stadium, Dublin  Russia 1–3 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Qual. 1

Personal life

O'Sullivan coached soccer at Sir Francis Drake High School[2] and since 2005, runs a soccer camp business.[27]

References

  1. ↑ "Senior Women Player Profiles". Football Association of Ireland. 16 January 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Dave Curtis (26 July 2009). "Irish eyes smile on former Drake standout O'Sullivan". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Coaches and Counselors". Fiona's Soccer Camp. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  4. ↑ "Former Don Fiona O'Sullivan Drafted by the Chicago Red Stars of the WPS". University of San Francisco. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Red Stars select UNC's Whitney Engen in WPS Draft". WomensProSoccer.com. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  6. ↑ "WPSL HONORS". Chicagoland Soccer News. 13 June 2007. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  7. ↑ "Transactions: 2010". WomensProSoccer.com. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Landy, Barry (13 August 2013). "#TEE10 – Fiona O'Sullivan: “Germany is a good fit for me”". The Emerald Exiles. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  9. ↑ Scott French (25 July 2010). "WPSL: Chastain retires, but she's not quitting". ESPN. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  10. ↑ Dave Litterer (14 July 2010). "The year in American soccer, 2010". The American Soccer History Archives. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Marin Briefs: O'Sullivan and Abbott named to WPSL all-conference". Marin Independent Journal. 8 September 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  12. ↑ Stefan Mellerborg (18 January 2011). "Fiona O'Sullivan till Piteå" (in Swedish). aikfotboll.se. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  13. ↑ Fiona O Sullivan lämnar Piteå IF Piteå-Tidningen
  14. ↑ "Rebecca Spencer and Fiona O'Sullivan move to France". CWF Football. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
  15. ↑ "Fiona O'Sullivan" (in French). Footofeminin.fr. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  16. ↑ "Clark and O'Sullivan to SC Freiburg". CWF Football. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  17. ↑ McCarthy, Kieran (24 August 2013). "Fiona's flying high". The Southern Star. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  18. ↑ "Fiona O'Sullivan" (in German). Framba.de. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  19. ↑ "Notts County Ladies: Fiona O'Sullivan joins from Freiburg". British Broadcasting Corporation. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  20. ↑ "KATIE OFF THE BENCH TO KO KAZAKHSTAN". Daily Mirror. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 "US born attacker hits rich vein of form for Ireland". Football Association of Ireland. 19 March 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Niall Feery (30 August 2010). "'Frisco's on fire". Herald.ie. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  23. ↑ "21st 3/FAI International Football Award winners announced". RTE.ie. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  24. ↑ "On The Spot – Sue Ronan". Football Association of Ireland. 29 December 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  25. ↑ "Doherty drafted in to replace O'Suulivan for Cyprus Cup". Football Association of Ireland. 28 February 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  26. ↑ "O'Sullivan double inspires Ireland fightback". Football Association of Ireland. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  27. ↑ "Fiona O'Sullivan". Fiona's Soccer Camps. Retrieved 22 September 2010.

External links