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Natalia Kuikka

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Natalia Kuikka
Kuikka with Florida State in 2015
Personal information
Full name Natalia Kuikka[1]
Date of birth (1995-12-01) 1 December 1995 (age 28)
Place of birth Kemi, Finland
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[2]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Chicago Red Stars
Number 12
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Florida State Seminoles 79 (9)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011 Visan Pallo 16 (14)
2012–2013 Merilappi United 35 (15)
2013 → Kokkola F10 11 (1)
2014–2015 Merilappi United 29 (14)
2016 Seattle Sounders
2017 Santa Clarita Blue Heat
2019–2020 Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC 41 (5)
2021–2023 Portland Thorns 63 (2)
2024– Chicago Red Stars 5 (0)
International career‡
2011–2012 Finland U17 6 (2)
2012–2014 Finland U19 12 (3)
2014 Finland U20 3 (0)
2013– Finland 63 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 April 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 February 2022

Natalia Kuikka (born 1 December 1995) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a defender for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Finland national team. She was named the Finnish Footballer of the Year in 2022 by Finnish sports journalists.

College career

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Florida State University

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Kuikka was recruited by Mark Krikorian to join his Florida State University squad for the 2015 season. In her freshman year, she played in a total of 19 games, all as a midfielder, tallying 6 goals and 5 assists. She scored the first goal of her career versus New Mexico State University on 21 August 2015. In the ACC tournament, her goal and two assists earned her the first of her ACC Tournament MVP Awards.[3]

Moving to the central defender role beginning her sophomore season, Kuikka helped solidify a defense that allowed a paltry 0.39 GAA. For the second year in a row, she won the ACC Tournament MVP award for her solid defensive play and two shootout penalty kick conversions.[4]

After being selected as a team captain, success as the director of the defensive line continued in her junior year. The Seminoles had eight clean sheets including two in the NCAA Tournament.[5]

As a senior and team captain, Kuikka anchored the Seminoles defense and led the team to a school-record 16 shutouts, including four in the NCAA Tournament. The final two being in the College Cup versus defending champion Stanford and in the final versus UNC to claim the NCAA Championship.[6] Her efforts garnered her the 2018-9 Honda Sport Award for the top female athlete in NCAA Division I soccer.[7][8]

Kuikka graduated in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in criminology.[9]

Club career

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Seattle Sounders Women

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In the summer of 2016, Kuikka joined Seattle Sounders Women in the Women's Premier Soccer League. Alongside Florida State teammates Kaycie Tillman, Megan Connolly, and Cassie Miller, Kuikka helped the team go undefeated in the regular season to become WPSL NW Division Champions.[10]

Santa Clarita Blue Heat

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In the summer of 2017, Kuikka joined Santa Clarita Blue Heat in the United Women's Soccer league. She helped lead the defense to allow only 5 goals in 8 regular season games.[11] She started in the UWS semi-final and final alongside Florida State teammate, Deyna Castellanos.

Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC

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In January 2019, Kuikka signed with Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC[12] in the Damallsvenskan in Sweden, joining her former Florida State University teammate and Finnish compatriot, Emma Koivisto.

Portland Thorns FC

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On October 29, 2020, Portland Thorns FC announced that they signed Kuikka to a two-year deal, starting in 2021.[13] On September 20, 2022, the club announced that they signed Kuikka to a one-year deal, extending her contract through the 2023 season.[14] At the end of the 2022 season, Kuikka won the NWSL Championship title with Thorns.[15]

Chicago Red Stars

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Kuikka with the Red Stars in 2024

On 18 January 2024, fellow NWSL side Chicago Red Stars announced the signing of Kuikka on a three-year deal.[16]

International career

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Having been capped for the Finnish U-16, U-17, U-18, U-19, and U-20 teams, Kuikka also played in the U-20 Women's World Cup in 2014.

Kuikka made her debut for the senior Finland National Team for the UEFA Women's Euro 2013.[17] In 2017, 2020, 2021, and 2022, she earned the Finland National Player of the Year award.[18][19]

Personal life

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Kuikka's hometown is Kemi, Finland. She is the daughter of Heli Kuikka and Hannu Suhonen.

Honors

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Florida State Seminoles

Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC

Portland Thorns FC

Individual

  • Finnish Footballer of the Year: 2022
  • Finnish Female Footballer of the Year: 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
  • Honda Collegiate Women's Sport Award Winner for Soccer (2018–19)[7]
  • College Cup All-Tournament Team (2018)
  • United Soccer Coaches All-American Third Team (2018)[21]
  • United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region First Team (2018)[22]
  • All-ACC Second Team: 2016, 2018
  • ACC All-Tournament Team: 2015, 2016, 2018
  • ACC Defensive Player of the Week (October 23, 2018)[23]
  • United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Second Team (2017)
  • All-ACC First Team (2017)
  • NSCAA All-American Third Team (2016)[24]
  • NSCAA All-Southeast Region First Team (2016)[24]
  • ACC Tournament MVP: 2015, 2016
  • ACC All-Freshman Team (2015)[6]
  • TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI Second Team (2015)[25]
  • TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week (11/10/15, 11/24/15)[6]

References

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  1. ^ "FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Canada 2014 – List of Players: Finland" (PDF). FIFA. 8 August 2016. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  2. ^ "List of Players – Finland" (PDF). FIFA. 4 August 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  3. ^ "Florida State Women's Soccer - 2015 Year In Review". www.nolefan.org. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Florida State Women's Soccer - 2016 Year In Review". www.nolefan.org. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Florida State Women's Soccer - 2017 Year In Review". www.nolefan.org. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Natalia Kuikka". Florida State Seminoles. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Natalia Kuikka of Florida State Named Honda Sport Award Winner for Soccer". CWSA. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Natalia Kuikka Earns Soccer's Honda Sport Award". Florida State Seminoles. 9 January 2019. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  9. ^ FC, Portland Thorns. "On eve of 2022 EUROs, Natalia Kuikka has found comfort and growth in Portland". Portland Thorns FC. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Sounders Women go undefeated in season, lose to San Diego in Western Conference Championship". sounderswomen. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Santa Clarita Blue Heat FC - 2017 Regular Season - Roster - #14 - Natalia Kuikka -". Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Natalia Kuikka- Kopparbergs Göteborg FC". Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  13. ^ "Thorns FC sign defender Natalia Kuikka".
  14. ^ "Natalia Kuikka is staying with the Thorns through 2023".
  15. ^ a b Azzi, Alex (30 October 2022). "Portland Thorns win 2022 NWSL, MVP Smith scores game winner". On Her Turf. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  16. ^ CHICAGO RED STARS SIGN DEFENDER NATALIA KUIKKA, chicagoredstars.com, 18 January 2024
  17. ^ "Naisten EM-kisajoukkue valittu" (in Finnish). palloliitto.fi. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  18. ^ "Exclusive: Natalia Kuikka on Portland Thorns move, Finland POTY award". Her Football Hub. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Thorns Notebook Kuikka named Finland Player of the Year, Moultre to U.S. U-20s". Portland Timbers FC. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  20. ^ Snipes, Tyler (22 August 2021). "The Portland Thorns are WICC Champions!". International Champions Cup.
  21. ^ Coaches, United Soccer. "NCAA Division I Women's All-America Teams Announced | United Soccer Coaches". Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  22. ^ "2018 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women's All-Atlantic Region" (PDF). United Soccer Coaches. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  23. ^ "ACC Women's Soccer Players of the Week Announced". theacc.com. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  24. ^ a b "NSCAA All-Americans: NCAA Division I Women". www.socceramerica.com. 2 December 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  25. ^ "2015 TDS Women's DI Best XI teams | College Soccer". TopDrawerSoccer.com. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
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