Zoe Matthews


Zoe Matthews is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder or defender for Campeonato Nacional Feminino club Benfica (women)|Benfica], on loan from the Houston Dash. She signed with the Dash at age 17 in 2024.

Early life

Matthews grew up in Southlake, Texas, the daughter of Jason and Angie Matthews. She played high school soccer at Carroll [Senior High School], leading the team to the UIL Class 6A state championship as a freshman in 2022. She scored a goal and had an assist in the final as teammate Kennedy Fuller scored a hat trick in the 4–0 win. She scored 22 goals and tallied 26 assists as a sophomore, being named All-American by United Soccer Coaches in 2023. She played ECNL club soccer for Solar SC and Legends SC, earning all-conference honors twice. She helped lead both teams to ECNL national finals, winning the under-14 title with Solar SC in 2021 and finishing runner-up for the under-17 title with Legends SC in 2024. She played as an attacking midfielder growing up and was mentored by North Carolina Courage midfielder Brianna Pinto through the group Voice in Sport. Before going pro, she was committed to play college soccer for the LSU Tigers.

Club career

Houston Dash

The Houston Dash announced on October 11, 2024, that they had signed Matthews to her first professional contract on a two-plus-year deal through 2026. She was the youngest player in club history and the youngest African American to sign a contract in the NWSL. She made her professional debut one week later as an 85th-minute substitute in a 2–1 road loss to the Seattle Reign.
On August 20, 2025, Matthews joined newly promoted Liga F club Dux Logroño on a season-long loan. She went to the Spanish club alongside Dash teammate Rebeca. On September 6, she made her debut for the club – and first professional start – in a 1–0 loss to Real Sociedad. She made nine appearances before the loan ended after half a season.

Benfica

On February 2, 2026, Matthews joined Portuguese club Benfica on loan for the rest of the season with the option to buy. Benfica immediately activated the option and signed her to a three-plus-year contract through 2029.

International career

Matthews is eligible to represent the United States and Jamaica internationally. In 2022, she trained with the United States under-15 and under-16 teams. The same year, she was called up to the Jamaica national team at age 15 by head coach Lorne Donaldson. She played a friendly tournament with the United States under-16s in 2023, scoring in a pre-tournament friendly against hosts France and starting in the final with high school teammate Kennedy Fuller. She trained with the United States under-18 soccer team|under-18] and under-19 teams in 2024 and 2025. She was called into a development camp, training concurrently with the senior national team, in January 2026.