EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Former University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer defender Mia Rose Daly (Haiku, Hawaii) has signed a professional contract to play for Keynsham Town L.F.C. of the FA Women’s National League in England. The club is in Tier 4 and in Division One South West. Daly is the first player to sign professionally in USI Women’s Soccer history.
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The club is in Keynsham, England, which is in the southwest portion of England close to Bristol and Bath and not too far from Wales.
Daly and Keynsham Town L.F.C. kicked off the preseason on Sunday with a 2-0 win. Daly started and played all 90 minutes at outside left back. The preseason will continue until the start of the regular season in a couple of weeks on August 20.
“Mia is fulfilling her dream of playing professional soccer,” USI Head Coach Eric Schoenstein said. “Since she was a youth player in Hawaii, her dream was to play professionally in England and now she has realized her dream.”
Daly was a graduate transfer to USI ahead of the 2022 season. She started all 16 matches she appeared in for the Screaming Eagles, playing a total of 1,396 minutes and every minute in 12 matches last season.
Daly helped lead USI’s defense to seven shutouts and 0.82 goals against average, both second-best in the Ohio Valley Conference. Offensively, Daly recorded three shots and scored her only goal of the season in Southern Indiana’s first-round match against Lindenwood University in the OVC Championship Tournament.
The Haiku, Hawaii native came to USI after starting her collegiate career at Long Island University before finishing her undergrad at St. Francis College (N.Y.).
For her entire collegiate career, Daly started 73 of 77 matches appeared in, playing over 6,337 total minutes with two career goals scored.
Daly grew up in Hawaii playing club soccer with Po’okela Soccer Club, along with Rush Hawaii where she was a member of the state championship teams in 2017 and 2018.
Last January, Daly registered for the National Women’s Soccer League Draft, stepping into the world of professional soccer.
“We are so proud of Mia and excited to watch her professional career,” Schoenstein added.
