Briana Scurry


Briana Collette Scurry is an American retired soccer goalkeeper and current assistant coach of the Washington Spirit. Scurry was the starting goalkeeper for the United States women's national soccer team at the 1995 World Cup, 1996 Summer Olympics, 1999 World Cup, 2003 World Cup, and the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. She played in the semi-final and playoff for third place in the 2007 Women's World Cup. She was a founding member of the WUSA, playing three seasons as starting goalkeeper for the Atlanta Beat.
Her career total of 173 international appearances is the second most among female soccer goalkeepers. It is also the fifteenth most of any American female player, and the thirty-second most among all women.
Scurry was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame on August 3, 2017. She was the first woman goalkeeper and first black woman to be awarded the honor. On June 1, 2018 she married top PR Executive, public speaker, and branding specialist Chryssa Zizos, CEO of Live Wire Strategic Communications, LLC.

Early life

Scurry was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to parents, Ernest and Robbie Scurry. She is the youngest of nine children, with three brothers and five sisters.
She played goalie for the Anoka High School Tornadoes for four years and was instrumental in their Minnesota State Championship win in 1989 which ended in a shootout victory. In high school, Scurry ran track and played floor hockey and softball, but basketball was her first and deepest love.
Briana was named Anoka High School's Athena Award winner as the school's top female athlete. She was also named High School All American and Minnesota's top female athlete.
In 2010, she was inducted into the Minnesota State High School Hall of Fame. In September 2011, Scurry was named to the inaugural class of the Anoka High School Hall of Fame.

University of Massachusetts

Scurry attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst and completed her four-year collegiate career with 37 shutouts in 65 starts and with a career record of 48–13–4 and a 0.56 goals-against-average
She split time in the net in 1992 during her junior season, starting 13 games and earning seven shutouts. Scurry played three games in 1992 as a forward.
In 1993, she helped lead the UMass Minutewomen to a 17–3–3 record, to the semifinals of the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship and the titles of the Atlantic 10 Conference regular season and tournament. In her senior season, she started all 23 games and recorded 15 shutouts and a 0.48 goals-against average, the third best in the nation.
Scurry was named the National Goalkeeper of the Year in 1993 by the Missouri Athletic Club Sports Foundation and was a 1993 second-team All-American, All-Northeast Region and All-New England first-team selection.

Playing career

Club

Scurry was a founding player for the Atlanta Beat in the Women's United Soccer Association, the world's first women's league where the players were paid as professionals. She was the starting goalkeeper for the three seasons of the league. She helped the Beat to two WUSA Championship Games and was named the league's Goalkeeper of the Year in 2003.
On March 13, 2009, Scurry was named to the preseason roster of the Washington Freedom, in the inaugural season of Women's Professional Soccer. She suffered a season-ending concussion early in the 2010 season, and announced her retirement later that year on September 8.
In 2012 Briana was part of "Pitch Slap", a tournament softball team which dominated a beer league coed softball league

International

Scurry was a goalkeeper for the United States women's national soccer team for most of the years between 1994–2008, earning a record 173 caps for the United States. She started 159 of those games and finished her international career with a record of 133–12–14. She also earned 71 shutouts.
Scurry's first appearance for the United States women's national soccer team was March 16, 1994, versus Portugal. Her first shutout was recorded the same day. In her first year with the USA, she earned seven shutouts in 12 starts.
She was a member of the Gold Medal-winning US Women's National Team at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta where she started and played in every minute of the team's five matches conceding only three goals.
Scurry played every minute of the 1999 Women's World Cup allowing only three goals and recording four shutouts. She saved one penalty during the shootout in the final against China and the United States won. Following the World Cup, Scurry announced her intention to play in the WNBA.
She started for the USA in the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup and 2004 Summer Olympic Games. She also played two matches for the USA in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup and was the alternate goalkeeper on the 2008 Olympic Team.
On June 23, 2008, United States Women's Olympic soccer coach Pia Sundhage announced that Scurry would not be on the Olympic team. Her last match for the USA was on November 5, 2008, against the Korea Republic.

Sports administration

Scurry was appointed general manager of the WPS franchise magicJack beginning with the 2011 season.

Broadcasting

Scurry was part of the rotation of studio commentators for ESPN's telecasts of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Coaching

On December 6, 2017, Scurry was announced as the First Assistant Coach of the Washington Spirit and would serve as Technical Advisor for the Spirit Academy programs in Maryland and Virginia.

Honors and awards

In Dayton, Minnesota where Briana grew up, there is a soccer park named in her honor.