Meredith Beard

Meredith Grace Beard is an American former professional soccer player. A forward, she represented the Carolina Courage and the Washington Freedom of Women's [United Soccer Association]. She won three caps for the soccer team|United States national team].

College career

As a senior at North [Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer|North Carolina], she won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top soccer player.

Club career

Beard was the Carolina Courage's second draft pick ahead of the inaugural 2001 season of the Women's United Soccer Association. Ahead of the 2002 season she joined the Washington Freedom as a free agent. She was mainly a substitute at the Freedom, as coach Jim Gabarra preferred to field celebrated forwards Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach.
In 2003, Beard's Freedom team won the Founders Cup, but she did not play in the post-season fixtures. When WUSA subsequently folded, she began working for a kitchen and bathroom showroom.

International career

In February 1999, Beard won her first cap for the United States national team. She played the second half of a 3–1 behind closed doors win over Finland women's national [football team|Finland] in Orlando. She played two more matches for the national team in January 2001, both against China.

Personal life

In February 2002 she married Ryan Beard.