BOSTON– Former Peabody High soccer star Hayley Dowd is taking her game to yet another level.
Dowd was signed to a professional contract by the Boston Breakers, who announced the signing Tuesday. Per team and league policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 22-year-old was drafted by the Breakers as the 38th overall pick in the 2017 National Women’s Soccer League College Draft last January. She has been playing for the Breakers Reserves team since then.
“I’ve been really pleased. Hayley deserves a contract. She’s been training with us all year, playing with the Reserves and scoring goals consistently for the Reserve team,” Breakers head coach Matt Beard said. “She can actually play in more than one position, which we’ve been impressed by. We’ve got six weeks (left in the season), and she’s got an opportunity to stake a claim to be here long-term.”
Dowd, who was the No. 8 pick in the fourth round of the draft, said it was a dream come true to play for her hometown team.
She watched the draft on YouTube with her parents at their Peabody home.
“It was just awesome when I heard my name as it has been a childhood dream of mine to play professional soccer,” Dowd said. “My mom was so happy she cried, and my dad was also very happy, so it was just an incredible experience to be sitting there and find out I was really drafted. I didn’t really think I would be as only 40 out of 200 are selected, so it was just great when I heard my name.”
Dowd played for the Boston Breakers Reserves in 2017, leading the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) with 13 goals and helping to lead the team to the WPSL Final Four. Dowd played the previous two summers for the Boston Breakers College Academy team in the WPSL.
“I’m excited for this opportunity to finish the season and begin my professional career with the Breakers,” Dowd said.
At Boston College, Dowd scored 39 goals and added 12 assists in 81 games. She was a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference Second Team selection. Her ability to create scoring chances and finish should come in handy for the Breakers, who are 3-10-7 and last in the league in scoring with only 16 goals in 20 games.
Dowd shined at Peabody High, playing four years on the varsity squad under head coach Dennis Desroches, receiving countless honors and awards. She was a two-time Northeastern Conference MVP as well as a four-time Boston Herald All-Scholastic, three-time Boston Globe All-Scholastic, two-time All-New England all-star and a 2011 NSCAA High School All-American.Dowd helped the Tanners win the Division 1 state championship in 2011. Her efforts earned her 2011-2012 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year honors. She finished her career as the all-time leading scorer in program history with 204 points on 148 goals and 56 assists.Dowd became the 10th player in Boston College history to be drafted by a professional team. She is also the second Peabody native in the last three years to play at the professional level, joining 2011 Peabody High and 2015 Wheaton College graduate Luke Finkelstein. Finkelstein, a four-time New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) all-conference honoree and Division 3 All-American, played professionally for Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan FC of Israel in 2015-2016.
Dowd’s first game with the Breakers will be Saturday in Florida at Orlando City Stadium against the Orlando Pride.
The Breakers’ next home game is against the Portland Thorns Sept. 10 at Jordan Field in Allston at 6 p.m.