Nealy Martin

She has stepped in as goalkeeper twice — including the 2023 NWSL Championship, helping Gotham FC clinch the win after Mandy Haught was sent off!

To celebrate her iconic emergency keeper moment, Gotham FC sold goalkeeper jerseys with her name on them for her birthday the following year.

She started playing soccer at age three when a neighbor knocked on her door asking her to fill in for a game.

Her very first call-up to the U.S. National Team came in January 2025, years into her pro career.

When she was a freshman and struggling for minutes, she wrote a goal list and taped it to her mirror — it included “Play College Soccer,” “Work My Hardest,” and “Don’t Let Anyone Drag You Down.”

Nealy credits her faith as the guiding force in her career: “I really think it was God’s doing to get me here.”

She studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Alabama.

Her go-to karaoke songs are from Alicia Keys, Adele or Beyoncé.

Growing up, she didn’t initially envision playing professional soccer — until a club teammate’s sister, who played at Auburn and then with Sky Blue (now Gotham), sparked the idea.

She went undrafted, but received a random email that led her to play in Wales and get her MBA.

She adopted a dog and says it was like “buying love.” Her dog now hangs out at the team facility, helps cheer people up, and is basically the team mascot.