Mary Harvey, 1980s Cal Bears soccer star and a national soccer pioneer who has been called “arguably the best goalkeeper in the history of California women’s soccer,” has won the prestigious Werner Fricker Builder Award from U.S. Soccer for her longterm advocacy of the sport.
Harvey led the Cal women’s soccer team to three top-five finishes in the NCAA tournament during her years at Berkeley, 1983-86. She was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Hall of Fame in 2000 and became the first woman to enter the American Youth Soccer Association Hall of Fame in 2003.
After she played at Cal, she went on to play for the U.S. national team. But her stellar performance on the field is only part of her story. Harvey went on to work in soccer’s highest echelons, as an administrator of the sport she loves.
Harvey is the first woman to receive the Werner Fricker Builder Award, the U.S. soccer federation’s highest honor, since its inception in 2002.
“Mary Harvey is a true icon within our soccer program, as well as women’s soccer here in the U.S.,” Cal head coach Neil McGuire said. “To be honored in this manner speaks volumes for who she is, what she stands for and what she has given to the beautiful game. We are proud to call Mary one of our own here at Cal. She is a proud Cal soccer alumna and is a wonderful role model to our players.”
Related information: Cal Sports Quarterly profile, “Mary Harvey: Soccer Pioneer as a Player, Executive”