Goalkeeper Hannah Seabert Steps Away From Soccer At Season's End

Angel City FC goalkeeper Hannah Seabert is stopping at the end of this season, a choice she called difficult because the sport has been central to who she is. "As athletes, we kind of put everything into our career and it really becomes part of your identity," Seabert, 31, said. "So it kind of feels like I'm losing a part of myself."

Seabert grew up in Riverside and started in goal at age 11, when her team needed someone to fill the position. She recorded 31 shutouts and 277 saves at Woodcrest Christian High, allowing 41 goals. At Pepperdine she logged 331 saves and was named West Coast Conference Goalkeeper of the Year in 2016. She played for the Orlando Pride in 2017 before leaving for Denmark, Norway and Portugal.

She returned to the United States last year to join Angel City. "After being abroad for eight years, I just really wanted to be around my family and closer to home," Seabert said. She made four appearances for the club last season, including two shutout wins. "When Angel City came into the conversation, that was it for me, I knew that was exactly where I wanted to be," she said.

Seabert said a grieving process has come with the decision, which she described as natural. "There's been so much work that I've put in, blood, sweat and tears, that I've put into this and it's really difficult to choose to let that go," she said. "But on the flip side, I'm really thankful that this is my choice and that I'm in control of when I get to retire."

She has not settled on a next role but expects to remain connected to the game. "I 100 percent think I'll be around soccer in some sort of capacity," Seabert said. "I haven't decided my path exactly yet." She said she wants to pass on what sport taught her to future generations and to more players, and that she is taking her time exploring where that work might happen.