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Maggie Graham

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Maggie Graham
Graham with Duke in 2024
Personal information
Full name Margaret Isabel Graham[1]
Date of birth (2002-07-10) July 10, 2002 (age 22)
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Houston Dash
Number 23
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2024 Duke Blue Devils 101 (22)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2025– Houston Dash 2 (2)
International career
2018 United States U-16
2020 United States U-18 3 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Margaret Isabel Graham (born July 10, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Duke Blue Devils, earning first-team All-American and ACC Midfielder of the Year honors in 2024.

Early life and college career

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Raised in Atlanta, Graham played multiple sports at the Westminster Schools, including soccer, basketball, track, and cross country, and won state championships in soccer and cross country as a freshman. She played DA club soccer for NTH Tophat, serving as captain for four years.[2] She committed to play college soccer for the Duke Blue Devils as a sophomore.[3] She was ranked by TopDrawerSoccer as the 40th-best recruit of the 2020 class.[2]

Duke Blue Devils

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Graham made 21 appearances (10 starts) for the Duke Blue Devils as a freshman in 2020, a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She started all three games for Duke in the NCAA tournament, assisting Sophie Jones's golden goal against Arizona State in the second round and making her penalty kick in a quarterfinal shootout loss to Florida State. She appeared in 20 games (4 starts) in her sophomore season. She provided the winning assist to her sister in a 1–0 win against Memphis in the second round of the NCAA tournament as Duke returned the quarterfinals, falling to Santa Clara.[2][4]

Graham played a bigger role in her junior season in 2022, making 22 appearances (20 starts) and scoring 4 goals with 6 assists, with all of her assists in conference play. In the semifinals of the ACC tournament, she was sent off with a straight red card after showing two middle fingers to her North Carolina opponent; Duke lost on penalties after a 0–0 draw. After sitting out the opening round of the NCAA tournament, she started three games as Duke returned to the national quarterfinals, where they lost to Alabama in overtime.[2][5] In her senior year, she started 16 games and scored one goal with one assist in a down season for Duke, failing to qualify for the NCAA tournament.[2][6]

Graham returned to play a fifth season in 2024, using her extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the pandemic. She started 22 games, led the team with 14 goals (more than doubling her career total), and had 5 assists. She scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against North Carolina during non-conference play, which marked Duke's first-ever home win against the Tar Heels, and she scored Duke's third goal in a 3–2 win against North Carolina during the ACC regular season.[2][7] She scored a hat trick and added an assist in a 4–1 away win against Stanford. Duke went undefeated in conference play to claim the ACC regular-season title. In the NCAA tournament, Graham scored two goals in each of the first two games as Duke reached the semifinals, where they lost 3–0 to North Carolina. After the 2024 season, she was named first-team All-ACC, the ACC Midfielder of the Year, and first-team All-American. She was one of three Duke players to make more than 100 career appearances alongside her sister Delaney Graham and Mackenzie Pluck.[2][8]

Club career

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Houston Dash

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The Houston Dash announced on January 21, 2025, that they had signed Graham to her first professional contract on a three-year deal. She was the team's first college signing after the abolition of the college draft.[9] She made her professional debut on March 14, coming on for Sophie Schmidt and scoring 15 minutes later in the season opener, a 2–1 defeat to the Washington Spirit.[10] The following week, she scored one minute after being substituted into the game, providing the game winner in a 2–1 comeback win against the Chicago Stars on March 23. She was the first NWSL player to score off the bench in her first two regular-season appearances.[11]

International career

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Graham appeared in friendlies for the United States youth national team at the under-16 and under-18 level, scoring against China U18 in 2020.[2]

Personal life

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Graham is the younger of two daughters born to Chris and Marie Graham.[2] She is of Cuban descent.[12] Her father rowed crew at Cornell. Her sister, Delaney, played soccer alongside her at Duke.[13]

Honors and awards

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Duke Blue Devils

  • ACC regular-season champions: 2024

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Duke University Commencement" (PDF). 2024. p. 43. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Maggie Graham". Duke Blue Devils. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  3. ^ "Recruiting Roundup: November 6-12". TopDrawerSoccer. November 6, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  4. ^ Sheehy, Mackenzie (August 17, 2023). "Even after their sisters left, Duke women's soccer is still a family affair for Maggie Graham and Emily Royson". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  5. ^ Hruby, Emma (November 5, 2022). "Duke player's middle fingers add to odd women's soccer trend". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  6. ^ Swanson, Shelby (November 1, 2024). "A rise to the top: Inside Duke women's soccer's remarkable run to No. 1 in the NCAA". The News & Observer. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  7. ^ Schwabe, Colton (September 13, 2024). "Blue Devil of the Week: Maggie Graham scores game-winner to lead Duke women's soccer against No. 2 North Carolina". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  8. ^ "Women's Division I Postseason Top 100". TopDrawerSoccer. December 18, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  9. ^ "Houston Dash Sign Duke University Midfielder Maggie Graham". Houston Dash. January 21, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  10. ^ "Recap: Spirit Kicks Off Regular Season with Three Points on the Road". Washington Spirit. March 15, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  11. ^ Lloyd-Hughes, Theo (March 25, 2025). "Marta scores as Pride defeats Gotham 2-0". Associated Press. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  12. ^ Pruchniewski, Morgan (October 11, 2023). "Hispanic Heritage Month – The Grahams Reconnect with Their Heritage". Duke Blue Devils. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  13. ^ "Delaney Graham". Duke Blue Devils. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
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