Isabel Cox
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Isabel McRae Cox | ||
| Date of birth | December 13, 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Greensboro, North Carolina | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2023 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 110 | (15) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2024 | Wellington Phoenix | 13 | (3) |
| 2024 | Brooklyn FC | 14 | (3) |
| International career | |||
| 2019 | United States U20 | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of December 14, 2024 | |||
Isabel McRae Cox (born December 13, 2000) is an American former soccer player who played as a striker. She played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where she made the most appearances in program history. She played professionally for Wellington Phoenix FC of the Australian A-League Women and Brooklyn FC of the USL Super League.
Early life and college career
[edit]Cox was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, and attended Grimsley High School, where she played on the soccer and basketball teams. She played ECNL club soccer for North Carolina Fusion.[1] She was named the News & Record girls' soccer player of the year in 2017 and 2018.[2]
North Carolina Tar Heels
[edit]Cox played all 27 games (24 starts) in her freshman season with the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2019, featuring alongside Alessia Russo on the front line.[1][3] She helped North Carolina win the ACC tournament, assisting twice in a 2–0 win against NC State in the semifinals. She scored twice in a 4–0 win against Michigan in the third round of the NCAA tournament as they reached the national championship game, which they lost to Stanford on penalties. She finished the 2019 season with 5 goals and 6 assists, earning Atlantic Coast Conference all-freshman recognition.[1] In her sophomore season, which was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she started all 20 games and scored 4 goals with 4 assists. She scored 4 goals with 2 assists in 16 games (6 starts) in her junior season in 2021. In her senior season in 2022, she scored 2 goals and led North Carolina with 8 assists in 26 games (15 starts). She started every round of the NCAA tournament as they returned to the national title game, losing to UCLA.[1] She made 21 appearances (1 start) in her graduate season in 2023. When she left North Carolina, she had made 110 appearances, the most in program history and third-most in NCAA Division I history.[1][4]
Club career
[edit]Wellington Phoenix
[edit]A-League Women club Wellington Phoenix FC announced Cox's signing on December 7, 2023, as an injury replacement for Grace Wisnewski.[5] Cox scored her first goal for the club on January 7, 2024, opening against Brisbane Roar FC. She had another shot ricochet off a defender's arm, but no handball was called, as they lost 2–1.[6] She scored 3 goals with 3 assists in 13 appearances (10 starts) as the Phoenix finished 8th of 12 teams in the 2023–24 season.[7]
Brooklyn FC
[edit]USL Super League club Brooklyn FC announced on July 23, 2024, that they had signed Cox ahead of the league's inaugural 2024–25 season.[8] She started and scored in the team's first-ever game, a 1–0 win against Tampa Bay Sun FC.[9] She played in all 14 games (7 starts) in the fall series and scored 3 goals, helping Brooklyn top the standings at the season break.[10]
Cox announced her retirement from professional soccer on January 22, 2025.[10]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]- As of December 14, 2024
| Club | Season | League | League Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wellington Phoenix FC | 2023–24 | A-League | 13 | 3 | – | 13 | 3 | |
| Brooklyn FC | 2024–25 | USL Super League | 14 | 3 | – | 14 | 3 | |
| Career total | 27 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 6 | ||
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Isabel Cox – Women's Soccer". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ "Isabel Cox helps Carolina women's soccer team push toward NCAA title". News & Record. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
- ^ "Isabel Cox and her high-profile strike partner". stuff.co.nz.
- ^ "Isabel Cox ends UNC soccer career with program record". usatoday.com. December 2, 2023.
- ^ "Tar Heel signs with the Nix". Wellington Phoenix FC. December 7, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ^ Rollo, Phillip (January 7, 2024). "'It's a clear handball!': Wellington Phoenix denied by arm of Brisbane Roar defender". Stuff. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ^ "2023-2024 Wellington Phoenix FC Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ^ "Brooklyn FC Welcomes Isabel Cox and Sasha Pickard". Brooklyn FC. July 23, 2024.
- ^ Lewis, Michael (September 15, 2024). "Winning Debut: Brooklyn FC blanks Tampa Bay Sun FC, 1-0". Front Row Soccer. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ^ a b "Brooklyn FC Forward Isabel Cox Announces Retirement". Brooklyn FC. January 22, 2025. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Isabel Cox at Soccerway.com
- Isabel Cox at FBref.com
- 2000 births
- Living people
- American expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand
- American expatriate women's soccer players
- American women's soccer players
- Women's association football forwards
- Brooklyn FC players
- Wellington Phoenix FC (women) players
- A-League Women players
- North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer players
- United States women's under-20 international soccer players
- 21st-century American sportswomen
- USL Super League players
- Soccer players from Greensboro, North Carolina