Alicia Balicoco Barker (born May 22, 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Pacific Northwest SC. Born in the United States, she represents the Philippines women's national team.

Alicia Barker
Personal information
Full name Alicia Balicoco Barker[1]
Date of birth (1998-05-22) May 22, 1998 (age 25)
Place of birth Kirkland, Washington, U.S.
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
Pacific Northwest SC
Youth career
FC Alliance
Inglemoor High School
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2019 Illinois Fighting Illini 75 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022– Pacific Northwest SC 0 (0)
International career
2022– Philippines 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:00; 13 December 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16:35; 18 February 2023 (UTC)

Early life edit

Barker was born in Woodinville, Washington.[2] She began playing soccer at four years old as a part of the Northshore Youth Soccer Association, where her father was her first coach.[2] She was a part of the Washington State's Elite Player Development Program, which is organized by the United States Youth Soccer Association.[2]

Barker played soccer while attending Inglemoor High School.[2]

College career edit

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign edit

Barker played collegiate soccer at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in NCAA Division I.[3] She started in seventy-five games and won All-Big Ten Second Team Defender, United Soccer Coaches Association Scholar All-North/Central Region Second Team, and USCA All-North Region Third Team during her 2018 season.[2][4]

International career edit

Barker is eligible to represent either United States or Philippines at the international level.

Philippines edit

In December 2022, Barker was included in the Philippines squad for the national team's training camp in Australia.[1][5][6] She made her debut in December 2022 for the Philippines in a 5–1 friendly win against Papua New Guinea.[7][8] She continued to represent the Philippines for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, starting all 3 games, including a historic win versus New Zealand in the nation's capital. [9][10]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Filipinas Set For Sydney Camp, Face PNG In Friendly Matches". Philippine Football Federation. December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Sharma, Arushi. "From Northshore Youth Soccer to the World Stage | Alicia Barker represent Philippines in FIFA Women's World Cup". The Woodinville Weekly. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  3. ^ "Alicia Barker - Soccer - University of Illinois Athletics". fightingillini.com. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  4. ^ "Barker Named to Philippines Women's World Cup Squad". University of Illinois Athletics. July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  5. ^ Li, Matthew (December 7, 2022). "Filipinas name pool for Papua New Guinea friendlies". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  6. ^ Morales, Luisa (December 7, 2022). "Filipinas end year with Sydney camp, face Papua New Guinea in friendlies". PhilStar. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  7. ^ "Filipinas Put Five Goals Past PNG In Friendly". Philippine Football Federation. December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  8. ^ Rantz, Susie (July 19, 2023). "Washington state connections in the 2023 World Cup". Sounder At Heart. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  9. ^ "Barker Named to Philippines Women's World Cup Squad". University of Illinois Athletics. July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  10. ^ Madigan, Grace (July 20, 2023). "Seattle's strong connection to the Philippines' world cup debut". KNKX Public Radio. Retrieved July 25, 2023.