Australian soccer player
Sofia Sakalis (born 11 July 2002) is an Australian soccer player who plays for Melbourne Victory in the A-League Women. She has represented Australia in the Australia U-17 and Australia U-20. Sakalis plays in the attacking midfielder position.
Early life
Sakalis, who is of Greek-Australian background, showed interest in soccer at the age of three and began playing two years later.[1][2] When she first started playing, coaches assigned her to teams with boys her age but advanced her to play with older boys.[1] At age 13, her performance at the National Championships earned her call-ups to three training camps with the Junior Matildas, Australia's under-17 national team.[1]
Club career
Melbourne City, 2017–2021
After training with Melbourne City in 2015–16, Sakalis signed with the team for the 2017–18 season at the age of 15.[3] She made her debut for the club during the team's 5–2 win over the Newcastle Jets on 12 November.[4][5]
Perth Glory, 2021–2024
Sofia signed a 2-year deal with Perth Glory ahead of the 2021–22 A-League Women season.[6] In August 2024, Sakalis announced that she had left the club.[7]
Melbourne Victory, 2024–
In August 2024, Sakalis joined Melbourne Victory.[8]
National Premier League
Sakalis was awarded Football Victoria's Gold Medal Award for the best player of 2022.
International career
Sakalis competed with the Junior Matildas[9][10] at the 2017 AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualification tournament in Vietnam where they finished first in their group with an undefeated record.[11] During the team's first group match against Palestine, Sakalis scored five goals,[12] and scored a total of 11 goals over 5 games.[13] She was the top scorer at the qualifying tournament, helping Australia secure a place at the 2017 AFC U-16 Women's Championship in Thailand.[11][14]
Honours
Sakalis was named 2016 Sport Stars of the Year with Olympic boxer Jason Whateley by the Whitehorse Leader.[15]
References
External links
