Holly Ward (soccer)
Canadian soccer player (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Holly Noushin Ward (born October 25, 2003) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Seattle Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League and the Canada national team. She played college soccer for the Texas Longhorns. She began her professional career with hometown club Vancouver Rise in 2025, helping them win the inaugural Northern Super League title.
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Ward with Canada in 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Holly Noushin Ward | ||
| Date of birth | October 25, 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Seattle Reign | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Portland Foothills SC | |||
| Mountain United FC | |||
| Vancouver Whitecaps Girls Elite | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2024 | Texas Longhorns | 91 | (17) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | Nautsaʼmawt FC[a] | 9+ | (1+) |
| 2024 | Burnaby FC | 6 | (1) |
| 2025 | Vancouver Rise | 25 | (6) |
| 2026– | Seattle Reign | 1 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Canada U-20 | 9 | (4) |
| 2025– | Canada | 10 | (2) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of March 20, 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of March 7, 2026 | |||
Early life
Ward was born in Vancouver to a father from Montreal, Quebec, and a mother from Boston, Massachusetts.[1] She moved to Portland, Oregon in the United States at age three and began playing youth soccer at age four with Portland Foothills SC.[2] At age 13, she moved back to Canada with her family, settling in North Vancouver.[2] In Canada, she played with Mountain United FC, before joining the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite.[3]
College career
Ward played four seasons for the Texas Longhorns at University of Texas, scoring 17 goals in 91 games.[3] In her junior season in 2023, she helped the Longhorns win the Big 12 tournament, dishing out four assists during the tournament and scoring the third goal in a 3–1 win against BYU in the final.[4][5] In her senior season in 2024, she scored a brace against LSU in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament, going on to help Texas win the tournament title in their new conference. In the NCAA tournament, she scored four goals in a 4–1 win against Boston University in the first round, a program record for an NCAA tournament game. She scored her final college goal in a 3–2 loss to Michigan State in the second round.[3][6]
Club career
League1 BC
In 2022, Ward played in League1 British Columbia with Varsity FC. She remained with the club in 2023, with the club changing their name to Nautsaʼmawt FC.[7]
In 2024, she joined Burnaby FC in League1 British Columbia.[8]
Vancouver Rise
Ward trained with Racing Louisville FC as a non-roster invitee in the NWSL preseason in January 2025.[9] The following month, she signed her first professional contract with hometown club Vancouver Rise before the inaugural season of the Northern Super League.[10] On April 16, she made her professional debut in the NSL's inaugural game between Vancouver and the Calgary Wild. She helped create the NSL's first-ever goal when she drew a penalty converted by Quinn in the 1–0 victory.[11][12] She scored her first professional goals on July 19, netting a brace in a 6–0 victory over the Halifax Tides.[13][14] On November 8, she scored a late goal against the Ottawa Rapid to even the aggregate score 3–3 in the playoff semifinals, helping the Rise advance to the inaugural NSL final after a penalty shootout.[15] On November 15, she scored the winning goal in the 68th minute of the inaugural NSL final, a 2–1 victory over AFC Toronto.[16]
Seattle Reign
On March 13, 2026, Ward transferred to the NWSL's Seattle Reign FC for an undisclosed fee, signing a two-year contract.[17]
International career
Ward played for Canada at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.[18] She made her senior debut on April 9, 2025, as a 64th-minute substitute in a friendly against Argentina.[19] She scored her first senior goal on June 3, 2025, in a friendly against Haiti.[20][21] With her goal, she became the first player from the Canada's Northern Super League to ever score for the Canada national team.[22] She earned her first call-up to a competitive tournament in February 2026, ahead of the 2026 SheBelieves Cup.[23]
Career statistics
International goals
- Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ward goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 3, 2025 | Saputo Stadium, Montréal, Canada |  Haiti | 2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | June 27, 2025 | BMO Field, Toronto, Canada |  Costa Rica | 2–1 | 4–1 |
Honors and awards
Texas Longhorns
Vancouver Rise FC
Individual
- Big 12 tournament all-tournament team: 2023
- SEC tournament all-tournament team: 2024
