Michelle Alozie is grateful for the chance to showcase her skills with the Houston Dash
The Houston Dash announced their official 28-player roster today with the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup kicking off this Friday. Michelle Alozie was one of two players signed as National Team Replacement Players and the former NCAA star will look to take full advantage of her chance to impress with the Dash.
Alozie began her college career at Yale. She tallied 19 goals and 13 assists as a Bulldog and was the 2017 Ivy League Co-Offensive Player of the Year. But, her time at the Ivy League university did not have a storybook ending as she tore her ACL in her senior season after just two matches. That led her to a new NCAA soccer journey.
“Sadly, at Yale you are only allowed 8 semesters and I didn’t want to have to withdraw from the school for a semester to play my final season,” Alozie explained to BGN. “I wanted to experience an environment where there was more of an emphasis on athletics.”
“When I visited Tennessee, the athletic and soccer culture there was like no other and there was so much pride in being a Vol, so I knew it was where I wanted to be.”
She scored three goals for Tennessee as a graduate student. Following her lone season in Tennessee, Alozie’s soccer journey took her abroad. She said, “After I finished my last year at Tennessee, I signed my first contract with a team in Kazakhstan for the 2020 season. It was a very interesting experience to say the least.”
Now, ahead of the 2021 NWSL season, she’s getting a chance with the Houston Dash. “I am so grateful and excited to be able to have this opportunity with the Dash,” Alozie said. For the Dash fans that may not be familiar with her game, Michelle said she brings speed and energy to the front line.
This opportunity with the Dash is allowing Michelle to continue going after one of her dreams, but her other dream is much more significant than a sport: becoming a cardiologist.
Alozie said, “I have always had two dreams growing up: being a professional soccer player and becoming a doctor. As I currently pursue the former, the latter is still in my mind and is a goal of mine in the future still. I was always fascinated with the heart, and all my undergraduate research was done in cardiology of vascular biology; so it really solidified cardiology for me!”
While she may be a California native, Alozie’s heart is in Texas now and she’s embracing life in the Lonestar State. She listed her top three Houston musical artists as Travis Scott, Meg Thee Stallion, and Beyonce.
Alozie and the Dash will look to #HoldItDown as they begin their Challenge Cup title defense on Friday when they take on the Chicago Red Stars in a rematch of the 2020 final of the tournament. The match will be live on CBS Sports Network with kick-off set for 7:30 PM CT. For Alozie and Zandy Soree, their National Team Replacement contracts run until 4/14, giving them the stage to audition for Houston and clubs around the league.
