Orlando Pride goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris recently opened up about her battles with depression and how soccer became an escape as she prepares to return home.
The Orlando Pride has celebrated bringing in some pretty big names for its inaugural season. Acquiring Alex Morgan was a marketing and strategic coup for the team.
So too was bringing home goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris.
Harris grew up in Satellite Beach, Fla., about an hour’s drive down the Beach Line from Downtown Orlando. Her road to professional soccer and a place on the U.S.’s World Cup-winning roster was not an easy one.
She detailed those struggles in a recent episode of Beyond the Net:
Life in Satellite Beach was far from idyllic. She struggled with depression and a bit of an unstable family life. Soccer became her escape as she left home to join the U.S. National Team program.
She returns to Central Florida in a much better place. She said she has a great support system and people in her life who help her through the dark times. She no longer isolates herself and is very (surprisingly in this culture) open about what she had to face.
Professional success surely helps too. Harris went 3-4-2 in nine appearances for the Washington Spirit last year. She made four appearances for the national team in 2015, going 2-0-1, allowing just two goals. She served most of the year as Hope Solo’s backup.
The Pride certainly brought her in to be the team’s starting goalkeeper. And her journey to return essentially home is truly an incredible one.
