Natalia Kuikka

Natalia Kuikka (born 1 December 1995) is a Finnish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Portland Thorns of the American National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Finland National Team.

Natalia Kuikka
Personal information
Full name Natalia Kuikka
Date of birth (1995-12-01) 1 December 1995
Place of birth Kemi, Finland
Height 168 cm (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Portland Thorns
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2019 Florida State Seminoles 79 (9)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011 Visan Pallo 16 (14)
2012–2013 Merilappi United 35 (15)
2013 → Kokkola F10 11 (1)
2014–2015 Merilappi United 29 (14)
2019–2020 Kopparbergs/Goteborg FC 41 (6)
2021– Portland Thorns 0 (0)
National team‡
2011–2012 Finland U17 6 (2)
2012–2014 Finland U19 12 (3)
2014 Finland U20 3 (0)
2013– Finland 55 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17 January 2016
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 3 June 2020

College career

Florida State University
Kuikka celebrating after helping Florida State win the 2018 NCAA National Championship

Kuikka was recruited by Mark Krikorian (soccer) to join his Florida State University squad for the 2015 season. In her freshman year, she played in a total of 19 games, all as a midfielder, tallying 6 goals and 5 assists. She scored the first goal of her career versus New Mexico State University on 21 August 2015. In the ACC tournament, her goal and two assists earned her the first of her ACC Tournament MVP Awards.[2]

Moving to the central defender role beginning her sophomore season, Kuikka helped solidify a defense that allowed a paltry 0.39 GAA. For the second year in a row, she won the ACC Tournament MVP award for her solid defensive play and two shootout penalty kick conversions.[3]

After being selected as a team captain, success as the director of the defensive line continued in her junior year. The Seminoles had eight clean sheets including two in the NCAA Tournament.[4]

As a senior and team captain, Kuikka anchored the Seminoles defense and led the team to a school-record 16 shutouts, including four in the NCAA Tournament. The final two being in the College Cup versus defending champion Stanford and in the final versus UNC to claim the NCAA Championship.[5] Her efforts garnered her the 2018-9 Honda Sport Award for the top female athlete in NCAA Division I soccer.[6][7]

Kuikka graduated at the end of Fall Semester 2018 with a bachelor's degree in Criminology.

Club career

Portland Thorns FC

On October 29, 2020, Portland_Thorns_FC announced that they signed Kuikka to a two-year deal, starting in 2021.[8]

Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC

In January 2019, Kuikka signed with Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC[9] in the Damallsvenskan in Sweden, joining her former Florida State University teammate and Finnish compatriot, Emma Koivisto.

Santa Clarita Blue Heat

In the summer of 2017, Kuikka joined Santa Clarita Blue Heat in the United Women's Soccer league. She helped lead the defense to allow only 5 goals in 8 regular season games.[10] She started in the UWS semi-final and final alongside Florida State teammate, Deyna Castellanos.

Seattle Sounders Women

In the summer of 2016, Kuikka joined Seattle Sounders Women in the Women's Premier Soccer League. Alongside Florida State teammates Kaycie Tillman, Megan Connolly, and Cassie Miller, Kuikka helped the team go undefeated in the regular season to become WPSL NW Division Champions.[11]

International career

Senior national team

Kuikka made her debut for the senior Finland National Team for the UEFA Women's Euro 2013.[12] In 2017, she earned the Finland National Player of the Year award.

Youth national teams

Having been capped for the Finnish U-16, U-17, U-18, U-19, and U-20 teams, Kuikka also played in the U-20 Women's World Cup in 2014.

Honors

International
  • Finland Female National Player of the Year (2020)
  • Finland Female National Player of the Year (2017)

Club


College
  • Honda Collegiate Women's Sport Award Winner for Soccer (2018–19)[6]
  • NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship (2018)
  • College Cup All-Tournament Team (2018)
  • United Soccer Coaches All-American Third Team (2018)[13]
  • United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region First Team (2018)[14]
  • All-ACC Second Team (2018)
  • ACC All-Tournament Team (2018)
  • ACC Defensive Player of the Week (October 23, 2018)[15]
  • MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List (2018)
  • Team Captain (2018)[5]
  • United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Second Team (2017)
  • All-ACC First Team (2017)
  • MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List (2017)
  • Team Captain (2017)[5]
  • NSCAA All-American Third Team (2016)[16]
  • NSCAA All-Southeast Region First Team (2016)[16]
  • All-ACC Second Team (2016)
  • ACC Tournament MVP (2016)
  • ACC All-Tournament Team (2016)
  • ACC All-Freshman Team (2015)[5]
  • ACC Tournament MVP (2015)
  • ACC All-Tournament Team (2015)
  • TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI Second Team (2015)[17]
  • TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week (11/10/15, 11/24/15)[5]

Personal life

Kuikka's hometown is Kemi, Finland. She is the daughter of Heli Kuikka and Hannu Suhonen.

References
  1. "List of Players – Finland" (PDF). FIFA. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  2. "Florida State Women's Soccer - 2015 Year In Review". www.nolefan.org. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  3. "Florida State Women's Soccer - 2016 Year In Review". www.nolefan.org. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  4. "Florida State Women's Soccer - 2017 Year In Review". www.nolefan.org. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  5. "Natalia Kuikka". Florida State Seminoles. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  6. "Natalia Kuikka of Florida State Named Honda Sport Award Winner for Soccer". CWSA. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  7. "Natalia Kuikka Earns Soccer's Honda Sport Award". Florida State Seminoles. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  8. "Thorns FC sign defender Natalia Kuikka".
  9. "Natalia Kuikka- Kopparbergs Göteborg FC". Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  10. https://www.uwssoccer.com/roster_players/17645114
  11. "Sounders Women go undefeated in season, lose to San Diego in Western Conference Championship". sounderswomen.
  12. "Naisten EM-kisajoukkue valittu" (in Finnish). palloliitto.fi. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  13. Coaches, United Soccer. "NCAA Division I Women's All-America Teams Announced | United Soccer Coaches". Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  14. https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2018-NCAA-Division-I-Womens-All-Region-Team.pdf
  15. "ACC Women's Soccer Players of the Week Announced". theacc.com. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  16. "NSCAA All-Americans: NCAA Division I Women". www.socceramerica.com. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  17. "2015 TDS Women's DI Best XI teams | College Soccer". TopDrawerSoccer.com. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
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