Haley Carter

Haley Carter (born June 21, 1984) née Haley Crain, is a retired American professional soccer player who currently serves as assistant coach for the Afghanistan women's national football team. She is also a former United States Marine.

Early life
Born and raised in Friendswood, Texas, Carter competed in three Texas high school state championships and was the starting goalkeeper of the Friendswood High School 2001 Texas 4A UIL State High School Championship team. After graduating from high school in 2002, Carter played four years of NCAA Division I Women's Soccer at the United States Naval Academy. Following her time at Navy, she spent nearly eight years in the United States Marine Corps having made multiple combat deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Playing career
While serving on active duty in the Marine Corps, Carter represented the United States in two International Military Sports Council Women's Military World Soccer Championships (Ede, Netherlands – 2008, Cherbourg-Octeville, 2010). In 2010, Carter was named Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Female Athlete of the Year and finalist for the United States Marine Corps Female Athlete of the Year. From 2010–2013, Carter was stationed in Hawaii and played semi-professionally for the Honolulu Bulls W1 Women's team, where she was teammates with future professional player Caprice Dydasco. Upon her end of active service in 2013, Carter returned to Texas and spent the next three years as a reserve goalkeeper for the Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League. She made her first—and to date, only—professional appearance against the Washington Spirit on August 18, 2016.

Coaching career
While playing at Houston, Carter also served as a volunteer assistant coach for the women's soccer programs at Huston–Tillotson University and Sam Houston State University. She now focuses primarily on coaching and serves not only as assistant coach for the Afghanistan women's national football team but also as an Olympic Development coach for South Texas Youth Soccer Association and Region III of the United States Youth Soccer Association. On November 10, 2016, Carter became the first female professional player to receive the FIFPro World Players Union Merit Award for her efforts coaching the Afghanistan women. She intends to use the funds to cover the team's participation in the 2017 Istria Cup in Umag, Croatia from 28 February to 9 March 2017.

Personal life
Carter participates in several community service programs in the Houston area and is the namesake of the Houston Dash "Haley's Heroes" program honoring female Veterans and Servicemembers. She is married to Michael Carter of Smithville, Texas and together they have one son.