Tina Ellertson
National Women's Soccer League defender and US national team member
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The basics
Quick Facts
| Intro | National Women's Soccer League defender and US national team member | |
| A.K.A. | Tina Frimpong | |
| A.K.A. | Tina Frimpong | |
| Places | United States of America | |
| is | Athlete Football player Association football player | |
| Work field | Sports | |
| Gender |
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| Profiles |  | |
| Birth | 20 May 1982, Vancouver | |
| Age | 42 years | |
| Star sign | Taurus |
The details
Biography
Christina "Tina" Ellertson, née Christina Jo Frimpong (born May 20, 1982), is an American former professional soccer defender and former member of the United States women's national soccer team.
Early life
Ellertson was born and grew up in Vancouver, Washington. The daughter of a Nigerian mother and a Ghanaian father who immigrated to the U.S., she played soccer throughout her childhood.
University of Washington
Ellertson originally signed to attend Santa Clara University, but instead went to the University of Washington. The decision was hard since at age 18, she gave birth to her daughter, MacKenzie. She competed in soccer throughout college to become one of UW's most respected forwards. She was named Pacific-10 Conference co-player of the year in 2003 and player of the year in 2004.
Playing career
Club
On September 16, 2008, Ellertson was one of the three players drafted for Saint Louis Athletica in the WPS allocation of national team members, with the new league starting play in April 2009. Ellertson was a consistently solid presence in the Athletica back line, logging 1748 minutes for the season, the most on the team. She played as team captain whenever Lori Chalupny was not on the field, made the All-Star team, and was nominated for WPS's Defender of the Year award.
When Saint Louis folded in May 2010, Ellertson moved to Atlanta Beat alongside team mates Hope Solo and Eniola Aluko. After 16 games and two goals for the Beat, Ellertson left by mutual consent in February 2011. She moved to new franchise magicJack and quickly became a cornerstone of the team's defense, producing notable performances against Marta and Kelly Smith.
Ellertson has also played previously for the Seattle Sounders of the W-League.
Ellertson in August 2011
In February 2013, she was chosen in the first round of the National Women's Soccer League's supplemental draft by Portland Thorns FC, despite having stated that she would not be playing in the league. Nevertheless, she ultimately joined the Thorns a few months later, on July 31, after being repeatedly approached by Coach Cindy Parlow Cone. Ellertson made five appearances for the Thorns, including an appearance as a substitute during the team's victory in the inaugural NWSL Championship match.
In February 2014, Ellertson announced that she was retiring from the Thorns to focus on coaching and her family.
International
After April Heinrichs's reign as coach, Ellertson tried out for the women's national soccer team, and earned her first cap against Ukraine on July 10, 2005. New coach Greg Ryan moved her to defender. She was named to the U.S. roster for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup and competed against Nigeria during group stage, against Brazil in the infamous semi-final in which Hope Solo was benched in favor of more experienced Briana Scurry, and against Norway in a 4–1 win in the third-place playoff match.
International goal
On December 13, 2008 at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, Ellertson scored her only international goal against China in her final USWNT game, and in her only start at forward; a 1–0 game winner.
| Key (expand for notes on “international goals” and sorting) | |
|---|---|
| Location | Geographic location of the venue where the competition occurred Sorted by country name first, then by city name |
| Lineup | Start – played entire match on minute (off player) – substituted on at the minute indicated, and player was substituted off at the same time off minute (on player) – substituted off at the minute indicated, and player was substituted on at the same time |
| Min | The minute in the match the goal was scored. For list that include caps, blank indicates played in the match but did not score a goal. |
| Assist/pass | The ball was passed by the player, which assisted in scoring the goal. This column depends on the availability and source of this information. |
| penalty or pk | Goal scored on penalty-kick which was awarded due to foul by opponent. (Goals scored in penalty-shoot-out, at the end of a tied match after extra-time, are not included.) |
| Score | The match score after the goal was scored. Sorted by goal difference, then by goal scored by the player's team |
| Result | The final score. Sorted by goal difference in the match, then by goal difference in penalty-shoot-out if it is taken, followed by goal scored by the player's team in the match, then by goal scored in the penalty-shoot-out. For matches with identical final scores, match ending in extra-time without penalty-shoot-out is a tougher match, therefore precede matches that ended in regulation |
| aet | The score at the end of extra-time; the match was tied at the end of 90' regulation |
| pso | Penalty-shoot-out score shown in parenthesis; the match was tied at the end of extra-time |
| Light-purple background color – exhibition or closed door international friendly match | |
NOTE: some keys may not apply for a particular football player | |
Goal | Date | Location | Opponent | Lineup | Min | Assist/pass | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2008-12-13 | USA Carson | China PR | 77. off 77' (on Cheney) | 61 | Amy Rodriguez | 5150.01005 1–0 | 5150.01005 1–0 | Friendly |
Personal life
Ellertson married Brad Ellertson, with whom she had two daughters, Mackenzie (born 2000) and Mya (born 2007). Prior to her marriage, she played under her maiden name, Frimpong. Her twin sister, Crystal Frimpong, played soccer at the University of Florida.