AI Summary
5 min readAt age 13, Olivia Moultrie was dribbling a soccer ball through a mall. At 15, she was in federal court suing the National Women’s Soccer League to lift its age restriction. She won. Now 20, she is an established star for the Portland Thorns and an emerging centerpiece of the U.S. women’s national team. In this conversation with Deseret News reporter Krishan Edler, Moultrie walks through how she got here — and what it took to rewrite the rules of women’s soccer before she could drive.
The lawsuit that changed the league
The age restriction in the NWSL was a barrier Moultrie refused to accept. Before the lawsuit, she and her family had explored every other avenue. “There was a thought that the league was heading in the direction of getting the homegrown rule, which is what the MLS has,” she explains. But that had not materialized. Meanwhile, in Europe, there was no age limit at all. “I’m just watching the best players in the world over in Europe and just seeing what’s happening. And I’m like, well, I’m just ready for more now.”
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What you'll learn
- 1 Olivia Moultrie: Rewriting the Rules of Women’s Soccer
- 2 (00:00) **Opening** - Host introduces Olivia Moultrie's historic lawsuit against NWSL at age 15 and her current status as Portland Thorns star and USWNT player
- 3 (00:53) **Origin Story: The Seven-Year-Old Goal** - Olivia describes writing a note at age 7 declaring she wanted to be the best player in the world
- 4 (03:10) **Why Soccer? The Beautiful Game** - Explains her love for the sport beyond competition
- 5 (04:09) **Growing Up in the Fast Lane** - Reflects on committing to UNC at 11, signing a Nike deal at 13, and training with the Thorns
- 6 (05:48) **The Lawsuit That Changed the League** - Details the legal battle to lift the NWSL age restriction
- 7 (08:56) **Professional Debut at 15** - Recalls the moment she entered her first NWSL game
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
At just 7 years old, Olivia Moultrie wrote a note to her parents stating she wanted to be the best soccer player in the world. By 13, she had signed a historic Nike endorsement deal. At 15, she sued the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) to lift its age restriction — and won — forever changing the landscape of American professional sports.
Now 20, and an established superstar for the Portland Thorns and the U.S. women's national team, Moultrie joins Deseret News reporter Krysyan Edler on a special edition of "Deseret Voices." She pulls back the curtain on her meteoric rise, her recent return from a calf injury, and what it felt like to have soccer legend Abby Wambach tell her she has the potential to score in every single international match.
But behind the highlight reels, the history-making lawsuits, and the intense drive that fuels her, lies a deeply grounded individual. Moultrie opens up about her faith as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, how she navigates the pressures of professional sports by remembering her identity as a daughter of God, and why she believes she is still only scratching the surface of what is possible.
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