Megan Lynn Brigman (born November 7, 1990) is an American former

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

defender who played for

Seattle Reign FC Seattle Reign FC is an American professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2012, it is one of eight inaugural members of the NWSL. Since June 2024, the Reign ar ...

of the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

Early life

Born and raised in

Laurinburg, North Carolina Laurinburg is a city in and the county seat of Scotland County, North Carolina, United States. Located in southern North Carolina near the South Carolina border, Laurinburg is southwest of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Fayetteville and is home t ...

. Brigman attended

Scotland High School Scotland High School is located in Laurinburg, North Carolina. It is a part of the Scotland County Schools district. Athletics Scotland is a member of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) and is classified as a 3A school. ...

where she was named female athlete of the year in her junior and senior years.

University of North Carolina

Brigman attended the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

from 2009 to 2013, where she played soccer for the

Tar Heels Tar Heel (or Tarheel) is a nickname applied to the U.S. state of North Carolina and its people. It is also the nickname of the University of North Carolina athletic teams, students, alumni, and fans. The origins of the Tar Heel nickname trace ba ...

. Brigman worked her way into the starting lineup after Rachel Given was injured in the 2010 season. Brigman stepped up to replace the valuable senior and remained in the backline for the remainder of the 2010 season, starting in 23 games. Brigman followed up by starting in 20 games in the 2011 season. The UNC coaches consider her one of the team's most improved players throughout her career.

Playing career

Club

Seattle Reign FC

On January 17, 2014, Brigman was selected in the second round (17th overall pick) of the

2014 NWSL College Draft The 2014 NWSL College Draft was the second annual meeting of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchises to select eligible college players. It was held on January 17, 2014, at the NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was ope ...

. In March, the Reign signed her to the team. Head coach Laura Harvey said of her signing

Laura Harvey Laura Kate Harvey (born 15 May 1980) is an English football manager and former player who currently manages Seattle Reign FC of the American National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She holds USSF "A" and UEFA "A" coaching licenses. Harvey previo ...

said, "Megan was someone that we watched carefully last season and hoped would be available with our second pick. She has done very well in preseason training, and we believe she has the potential to develop into a successful professional player." She first appeared for the club during the team's 2–0 win against

Boston Breakers The Boston Breakers were an American professional women's soccer club based in the Boston neighborhood of Allston. The team competed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). They replaced the original Breakers, who competed in the defu ...

on June 19, 2014. The Reign finished first in the regular season, clinching the NWSL Shield for the first time. After defeating the

Washington Spirit The Washington Spirit are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It is a continuation of the D.C. United Women of the USL W-League (1995� ...

2–1 in the playoff semi-finals, the Reign were defeated 2–1 by

FC Kansas City FC Kansas City was an American professional women's soccer club based in Kansas City, Missouri. The team was one of the eight founding clubs of the National Women's Soccer League in 2012, and began play in 2013. They were two-time NWSL champio ...

during the championship final. Brigman finished the 2014 season with two caps for the Reign. The Seattle Reign FC waived Megan Brigman after one season. General manager and head coach Laura Harvey said, "Despite the limited minutes she played last season, Megan was an important part of our squad. Given the increased depth of our squad this season, we felt her chances would be further limited, which led to the decision to waive Megan." Brigman only played 17 minutes in 2 games during the 2014 NWSL season.

Post-soccer life

After one season with the Seattle Reign in 2014, Brigman retired from her soccer career. She began working in sports marketing. In October 2015, Megan began working as an intern for French West Vaughan.

References

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels player profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brigman, Megan Living people 1990 births American women's soccer players Seattle Reign FC players National Women's Soccer League players Soccer players from North Carolina North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer players Women's association football defenders Seattle Reign FC draft picks Sportspeople from Laurinburg, North Carolina 21st-century American sportswomen