• print
  • email
  • font +
  • font -
  • rss

  Ali Hawkins
Ali Hawkins

Player Profile
Class:
Junior

Hometown:
Encinitas, Calif.

High School:
La Jolla Country Day

Height:
5-9

Position:
Midfielder

Experience:
Two-Year Letterman

Major:
Political Science

General: Now in her second year as a captain of the Tar Heel team...she shared the captain's band with Yael Averbuch last year and with Caroline Boneparth and Whitney Engen this year...two-year starter at the playmaking center midfield position for the Tar Heels...started at that position on NCAA championship teams in both 2006 and 2008...an outstanding student at Carolina...Coach Dorrance says she is one of the greatest leaders he has coached in his 31 years at UNC... is an exceptional weapon for the Tar Heels on direct kicks...also an outstanding header.

National Team Experience: Was a member of the U.S. U21 National Team in 2007...played with that team in England that year...as a senior in high school she was a member of the U.S. U17 National Team...prior to that she played on U.S. U16 National Team.

Club & ODP Soccer: Played center midfielder for the San Diego Surf for 10 years from 1997 through 2006...won five Surf Cup titles with San Diego Surf...also led her club team to 1999 state championship and to the WAGS Tournament title in 2001...played on national ODP championship squad with Cal South 86s in 2004...in 2005 with the Cal South 87s her team won the regional ODP championship.

Sophomore Season (2008): Her return from her redshirt season was a key to the Tar Heels' title run...co-captained the team with senior Yael Averbuch...named to the ACC Women's Soccer All-Academic Team and tapped for the second-team NSCAA/adidas Collegiate Scholar All-America Team...chosen for the 2009 ACC Academic Honor Roll and earned her way on to the Spring 2009 Dean's List...on the field, she earned second-team All-ACC accolades...was named third-team All-Southeast Region by Soccer Buzz and the NSCAA...played in 25 games, missing only the Duke, NC State and Florida State games...started 19 times at the playmaking center midfield position...played a total of 1,568 minutes...had three goals and six assists on the season for 12 points...scored all three of her goals on rebounds of her own shots...tallied that way against Virginia Tech in the regular season, against Western Carolina in the NCAA first round and most importantly against Texas A&M in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals...her goal in the 102nd minute against the Aggies capped a UNC rally and propelled the Heels into the College Cup...assisted on Merritt Mathias' game-winning goal against Georgia...had assists on Tobin Heath's second and third goals of the first half in UNC's 5-2 win at Clemson...assisted on goals in NCAA games against Charlotte and Illinois.

Redshirt Season (2007): Was slated to be Carolina's returning starter at the playmaking center midfield position...however, she tore an ACL while playing for the U.S. U21 National Team in England in spring 2007 and missed the entire season while rehabbing her knee from an offseason ACL tear...excelled in the classroom by making the Dean's List both semesters and earning 2008 ACC Academic Honor Roll credentials.

Freshman Season (2006): Started 25 games in helping lead Carolina to the national championship...played in 26 games, finishing with 15 points on six goals and three assists...named a first-team freshman All-America by Top Drawer Soccer...a member of Soccer Buzz's freshman All-Southeast Region Team...had an excellent year academically...earned Dean's List honors in both semesters of the school year...was honored on the ACC Women's Soccer All-Academic Team...2007 ACC Academic Honor Roll selection...had her six goals and three assists in nine different matches...had one of the two Tar Heel goals in 2-0 wins over both Clemson and Virginia...sparked the comeback from a 2-0 halftime deficit against Connecticut by scoring the game-tying goal in the second half...also scored against NC State in the ACC quarterfinals, on a penalty kick against UNC Asheville in the NCAA first round and against Tennessee in the NCAA third round...assisted on Carolina's first goal of the game in the regular season win over Florida State...also assisted on Yael Averbuch's game-tying goal in the ACC championship game against the Seminoles en route to UNC's overtime win....also had an assist against Navy in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Prep: Was the No. 8-ranked recruit in the country in spring 2006 as named by Soccer Buzz...coach Dorrance said she was one of the top headers that he has ever seen coming out of the high school ranks...graduated from La Jolla Country Day School in June of 2006...played soccer for four years and led the team as the captain her sophomore through senior seasons...named a Parade Magazine All-America in 2005 and an NSCAA All-America in 2004 and 2005...was a high honor roll student her freshman through senior years.

Personal: Given name is Alexandra Leigh Hawkins...born in New York City...daughter of Mark and Jill Hawkins.

2008-09 ALI HAWKINS HONORS
• ACC All-Academic Team
• NSCAA/adidas Second-Team Collegiate Scholar All-America Team
• Second-Team All-ACC
• 2009 ACC Academic Honor Roll
• Spring 2009 Dean's List
• Third-Team Soccer Buzz All-Southeast Region
• Third-Team NSCAA All-Southeast Region

About Ali...
Academic Majors at Carolina:
Economics and Political Science
Career Plans: Undecided
Hobbies: Surfing, playing soccer, heat Yoga
Biggest Sports Thrill: Winning two national championships
People with the Greatest Influence on my Athletic Career: Jesus and my family
Favorite Book: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Favorite Foods: Golden Grahams with a lot of milk, but eaten quickly so they don't get soggy
Favorite Movie: Mary Poppins
Favorite TV Show: So You Think You Can Dance
Favorite Class You Have Taken at UNC: Modern Islamic Civilization
Biggest Pet Peeve: When someone puts a new toilet paper roll on top of the empty one because actually taking the time to replace it is far toochallenging
If I Could Travel Anywhere, It Would Be: Chile
What I Would Do on a Saturday Full of Free Time: Play in the water and play soccer
If I Could Play Another Sport at Carolina, It Would Be: Volleyball
What I Like Most About Coach Dorrance: His vocabulary

Career Statistics

Year	GP/GS	Shots	G	A	PTS
2006	26/25	50	6	3	15
2008	25/19	26	3	6	12
Totals	51/44	76	9	9	27