Nancy Lay-McCormick (née Lay; born April 27, 1962) is a St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame inductee (2016)[9] and the first woman, along with Sandra Hunt, to referee in the MLS in 1998.[1] She was an ambidextrous soccer star who played forward at the University of Central Florida from 1981 to 1982. She was a leading goal scorer and an All-American. She also played for Senior League teams J.B. Marine, Trammell Crow, TBA, and Busch, winning state, regional, and national championships.[citation needed]

Nancy Lay-McCormick
Born (1962-04-27) April 27, 1962 (age 62)
Domestic
Years League Role
1990–2002 NISOA Referee
1997–2001 USSF Referee
1998 A-League Referee[1]
1998 MLS Assistant[1]
1998 MLS Referee
2001 WUSA Referee[2]
International
Years League Role
1999–2000 FIFA listed Referee

Soccer playing career
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[3]
Position(s) Forward[4]
Youth career
Trammell Crow Blazers[5]
0000–1980 Parkway North Vikings (boys)
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1981–1982 UCF Knights
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
J.B. Marine
Busch
1983 St. Louis Soccer Dome[6]
Northern Virginia TBA[7]
Managerial career
1984 Lake Brantley Patriots[8]
Villa Duchesne Saints
Pacific Indians
Clearwater Tornadoes
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Progression into sports

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After completing high school, Lay-McCormick moved on to college where she started out at the University of Missouri for her freshman year. The University of Central Florida then offered Nancy a scholarship for soccer, and despite being able to be a walk-on basketball player for Mizzou, Lay-McCormick decided to take the scholarship and move to Florida. While playing for the UCF Knights from 1981 to 1982,[10] Lay-McCormick played in two National Finals including the AIWA and the first NCAA Women's Soccer Finals, and was an All-American. Lay-McCormick received her bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education.

Career

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In 1985 Lay-McCormick started her career in refereeing. After over a thousand games as the senior referee Lay-McCormick became the first woman to referee in the MLS (Dallas VS New York in Dallas, Texas on August 29, 1998), developed the Women Referee Academy for US Soccer (which developed officials for women at the National Veteran’s Cup), and developed the Florida State Referee Teaching Association. She also coached for Villa Duchesne, Pacific High School, Clearwater High School, as well as boys and girls in Olympic development in Georgia and Virginia.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Phillips, Troy (August 25, 1998). "Referee to make history". Sports. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Vol. 93, no. 122 (Arlington ed.). p. D7. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  2. ^ "WUSA Summaries (July 7–8): Atlanta moves into first place; CyberRays continue shutout streak". Soccer America. July 8, 2001. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  3. ^ "High school athletes of the week". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Vol. 102, no. 16. January 17, 1980. p. 16A. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  4. ^ Wilson, Mary (March 10, 1982). "Women soccer players get national attention". The Little Sentinel. Vol. 7, no. 30. Orlando Sentinel. p. 9.
  5. ^ "Busch Wins Cup By Forfeit". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Vol. 102, no. 180. June 30, 1980. p. 18A. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  6. ^ "Soccer Dome Plays Sunday". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Vol. 105, no. 153. June 4, 1983. p. 6A.
  7. ^ Varsallone, Jim (December 10, 1995). "Ex-soccer star relishes her new role as ref". Hometown Herald. Miami Herald. p. 37. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  8. ^ Fisher, Marty (January 22, 1984). "Girls' soccer more of a finesse game than that of boys". Sports. Orange Sentinel. Orlando Sentinel. p. 11. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  9. ^ "Lay-McCormick, Nancy 2016". St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  10. ^ "2021 UCF Women's Soccer Record Book" (PDF). UCF Knights. December 2, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.

General references

  • Curtis, Russell. "Florida Teacher Makes Soccer History", American Teacher, November 1998. Retrieved on July 15, 2019.
  • Borzilleri, Meri-Jo. "Soccer ref's debut a milestone", The Herald, August 26, 1998. Retrieved on July 15, 2019.
  • Barnes, Craig. "Refs", Sun-Sentinel, August 25, 1998. Retrieved on July 15, 2019.