Emina Ekić
Bosnian-American footballer (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Emina Ekić (born 6 June 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Born in the United States, she plays for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.
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Ekić with Racing Louisville FC in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Emina Ekić[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 6 June 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Louisville, Kentucky, United States | ||
| Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Houston Dash | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2020 | Louisville Cardinals | 66 | (29) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2023 | Racing Louisville | 38 | (3) |
| 2022–2023 | → Melbourne City (loan) | 6 | (4) |
| 2023–2024 | Melbourne City | 18 | (7) |
| 2024–2025 | Spokane Zephyr | 24 | (10) |
| 2025–2026 | Lexington SC | 20 | (2) |
| 2026– | Houston Dash | 4 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | United States U23 | 1 | (0) |
| 2023– | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 20 | (5) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21 March 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 April 2026 | |||
Ekić played college soccer for the Louisville Cardinals, winning ACC Co-Freshman of the Year in 2017 and ACC Offensive Player of the Year in 2020. She was drafted fifth overall by Racing Louisville in the 2021 NWSL Draft. She then spent time with Melbourne City before joining Spokane Zephyr in the new USL Super League, winning the league's inaugural Player of the Year award in 2025. She also played for Lexington SC before joining the Dash in 2026.
Early life
Ekić was born in Louisville, Kentucky to parents who were both born in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[2] Ekić attended DuPont Manual High School, where she was named the 2015–16 Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year.[3] Ekić also played for Javanon SC.[4]
Louisville Cardinals
As a freshman in 2017, Ekić played in all 18 games for Louisville, starting 17 of them, and scored a team-high seven goals. She was named ACC Co-Freshman of the Year (alongside Alessia Russo), as well as being selected to the All-ACC second team and ACC All-Freshman team.[4]
In 2018, Ekić started all 18 games for the Cardinals, and earned first team All-ACC team honors.[5]
In her junior season, Ekić started all 20 games. She scored 8 goals, including a game-winner vs. Vanderbilt on 15 September.
In the 2020 fall season, Ekić started all nine games of the shortened ACC season. Ekić scored seven goals and was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year.[6]
Club career
Racing Louisville, 2021–2022
Ekić declared for the 2021 NWSL Draft on 17 December 2020.[7] She was drafted fifth overall by hometown expansion team Racing Louisville FC.[8][9] Ekić signed a one-year contract with an option for an additional year.[10]
She made her debut for Racing Louisville in their first match of the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup.[11] She scored Racing's first NWSL regular-season goal with a left-footed shot into the upper corner of the goal in a 2–0 win over the Washington Spirit, the club's first victory. Ekić finished her rookie season with 15 appearances, including three starts.[12]
Melbourne City (loan), 2022–2023
In November 2022, Racing exercised its option on Ekić's contract[10] and loaned her to Australian club Melbourne City until mid-February 2023.[13] While on loan, Ekić suffered a broken ankle and missed the first weeks of the 2023 Racing Louisville season.[14]
Return to Louisville and Melbourne City signing, 2023
In November 2023, Racing waived Ekić's contract two months early allowing her to return to Melbourne City.[15] She signed a two-year contract with the Australian club.[16] In June 2024, she left the club, exercising a clause in her contract to allow her to explore opportunities outside Australia.[17]
Spokane Zephyr, 2024–2025
On 17 July 2024, Ekić signed with Spokane Zephyr FC for the inaugural season of the USL Super League.[18] She scored her first goal for the club in the 17th minute from a penalty kick. Her first goal was also the first goal in club history.[19] She was named the inaugural USL Super League Player of the Year by both the league and Soccer Sheet, and included into All-League First Team.[20][21]
Lexington SC, 2025–2026
On 18 July 2025, Lexington SC acquired Ekić in a transfer with the Zephyr.[22] Ekić debuted for Lexington on 23 August, starting and playing all 90 minutes of the club's season-opening draw with Fort Lauderdale United FC, recording two assists.[23]
Houston Dash, 2026–
On 28 April 2026, the Houston Dash announced the signing of Ekić on a contract through 2027, with the mutual option to extend another year, following a transfer from Lexington SC.[24]
International career
Ekić played with the United States women's national under-23 soccer team at the Thorns Spring Invitational tournament in 2019.[25]
In July 2023, the Bosnia and Herzegovina women's national football team called Ekić up to its senior team for friendly matches against Greece and Hungary.[14][2]
Career statistics
College
| Team | Season | Regular season | ACC Tournament | NCAA Tournament | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Louisville Cardinals | 2017 | ACC | 18 | 7 | – | – | 18 | 7 | ||
| 2018 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 7 | ||
| 2019 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 8 | ||
| 2020 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | – | 9 | 7 | |||
| Total | 60 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 66 | 29 | ||
Club
- As of match played 21 March 2026
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Playoffs[b] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Racing Louisville FC | 2021 | NWSL | 15 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 19 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 19 | 2 | 6 | 1 | — | 25 | 3 | |||
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Melbourne City FC (loan) | 2022–23 | A-League | 6 | 4 | — | — | 6 | 4 | ||
| Melbourne City FC | 2023–24 | 18 | 7 | — | 3 | 1 | 21 | 8 | ||
| Spokane Zephyr FC | 2024–25 | USLS | 24 | 10 | — | — | 24 | 10 | ||
| Lexington SC | 2025–26 | 18 | 2 | — | — | 18 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 104 | 26 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 120 | 28 | ||
- Includes the NWSL Challenge Cup
- Includes NWSL playoffs and A-League Finals series
International
- As of match played 18 April 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2023 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 4 | 3 | |
| Total | 20 | 5 | |
- Scores and results list Bosnia and Herzegovina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ekić goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 25 October 2024 | Bosnia and Herzegovina FA Training Centre, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina |  Serbia | 1–0 | 2–2 | UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying play-offs |
| 2. | 25 February 2025 | Inver Park, Larne, Northern Ireland |  Northern Ireland | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League |
| 3. | 7 March 2026 | Bosnia and Herzegovina FA Training Centre, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina |  Liechtenstein | 7–1 | 13–1 | 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 4. | 8–1 | |||||
| 5. | 18 April 2026 | Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein | Liechtenstein | 6–0 | 6–0 | |
Honors
Individual
- USL Super League Player of the Year: 2024–25
- USL Super League All-League First Team: 2024–25
- ACC Offensive Player of the Year: 2020
- ACC Co-Freshman of the Year: 2017
- Second-team All-American: 2018, 2019
- Third-team All-American: 2020
- First-team All-ACC: 2018, 2019, 2020
- Second-team All-ACC: 2017
