Alumni Spotlight: Simone Ferrara
July 18, 2023 | Women's Soccer
The 2023 Women's World Cup will be played for the first time in the countries of Australia and New Zealand, two countries with a lot of history in the women's soccer game. For UC Irvine women's soccer, the spotlight shines brightest on New Zealand and Anteater alum Simone Ferrara, a native of the country, a star for UC Irvine, and the lone Anteater to ever represent the crest in a World Cup.
Born in New Zealand, Ferrara moved to the U.S. when she was four with just her mom as her aunts, uncles, and grandparents stayed behind in New Zealand. Her father, an American, was a large reason the family did come stateside and landed in Southern California.
Ferrara joined the Anteaters in 1995 with quite a large class. "There was I think 12 of us with Marine Cano as the coach. He was tough as nails, a tough coach, you either loved him or hated him."
Ferrara blossomed under his direction as she was plucked from the Olympic Developmental Pool in the area. Ferrara wasn't just making waves on the pitch once she got to campus, she was part of the track and field team as well with an understanding that she would be running in the spring and playing soccer in the fall. Ferrara was still being very raw on the soccer field as she entered the program, a better runner admittedly, but her development with coach Cano paid off.
"I was pretty skinny being a distance runner. He put so much time and effort into me, got me into the weight room and lifting," and after a really successful fall season, she stayed on in the spring with the soccer team. Ferrara and the team really clicked as a tight group and played a huge role for everyone in their success. "Cano brought us together and we had a lot of fun." The pair still catch up from time-to-time talking about games or big wins like the program's win over UCLA her freshman year.
It all culminated in two Big West Tournament runs. The 'Eaters qualified in the 1996 season and reached the Big West Final only to lose. They were back in in 1997 and again in the final playing to the 146th minute of overtime before putting home the game-winning goal for the program's first Big West title. The conference still didn't get an automatic bid that season, so the year ended there for the squad and Ferrara.
The Anteaters came back with another massive 1998 season going 14-3-3 and finishing just behind Pacific for the regular season title. With no tournament this time and an automatic berth to the regular season champion, the Anteaters were again left outside.
That didn't seem to affect Ferrara who finished her career as the program's all-time assists leader where she still stands today at 27 along with her 13 career goals and 53 points in 81 matches. She and Anteater great Nicole Bucciarelli had the opportunity to play together overseas in Italy, but Ferrara was admittedly a little burned out and wanted a break. "A graduation present for me was an airline ticket to New Zealand to spend a couple of weeks with my grandparents. I ended up doing that and not coming back."
Ferrara spent some quality time with her extended family setting up shop in New Zealand for a couple years. After a bit, she caught the soccer bug again. She ended up really missing the game and started playing in pickup games and then in a seven-a-side league, "just for fun," she thought. "One of the assistant coaches for the national team happened to be out at a match and liked me and found out that I was a New Zealand citizen. He invited me to camp and that's kind of how it all started."
The year was 2000 and Ferrara was training with the New Zealand national team along with playing league soccer in New Zealand and eventually China. Ferrara continued to play with the Football Ferns who missed a World Cup qualification in 2003, but after a three-tournament drought, the Ferns made the grade in 2007. Ferrara had a lot to do with that coming off Player of the Year honors in New Zealand, different tours around the world, a tournament in Japan, and in qualifying matches, she scored twice both coming in the same match as they would outscore their opponents 21-1 in qualification. The previous qualification in 2003, the squad outscored everyone 29-2 and five coming from Ferrara including a hat trick in a 15-0 win.
The 2007 Women's World Cup was on the horizon for the now Simone Ferrara Carmichael who had married in 2004. She had even had her first child the September before. Ferrara was plagued however with a career "filled with all kinds of disastrous injuries" as she put it. While trying out of the San Diego Spirit of the then-Women's United Soccer Association, Ferrara tore her hamstring and never played in the league.
Again, as her first shot at a World Cup was approaching, Ferrara tore her Achilles. Four months before the World Cup was to be played.
The qualifying tournament was in Papua New Guinea which required an anti-malaria medication for her and all the players. It was later determined that a side effect of the medication was ligament weakness, and as Ferrara was training back at Velocity Sports Performance in Redondo Beach, she heard a pop. Then the training sessions turned into a rehabilitation."
"I was training with a bunch of U.S. players training, doing sprint starts and different distances and it just snapped. So, I rehabbed back." Her rehab was nothing short of astonishing for her and the directors as the facility. A Press Telegram article spoke with her coach at the time, Ken Vick, who described it as "she's just blowing people away. I've seen athletes come back from huge injuries before, but this is incredible." Rehabbing an Achilles would normally take nine months to a year with six months in exceptional cases according to Vick, but here was Ferrara about to do it in four months. "I got back faster than anyone thought I would. I tested fit and they took me, but they were taking a chance."
To Ferrara's luck, New Zealand was under new tutelage as coach John Herdman who today is the head of the Canadian men's national team. "He didn't really know me but knew that I had a reputation and kind of took a chance on me and took me to the World Cup even though I wasn't 100%."
A lifelong dream of Ferrara's was within her grasp again. It was still a hard pill to swallow for her as she had been a starter for the team prior to the injury.
Ferrara got her moment entering the team's third and final match of group stage in the 82nd minute.
"The moment that I stepped on the field, my family was watching on TV and my father-in-law said he couldn't stop crying because he knew what I had been through, he was so full of emotion and will still cry talking about it today. But it was incredible, an incredible experience."
Not exactly the storybook ending for Ferrara, but a story she will never put down.
With the injuries, other setbacks were on her mind. The World Cup landed right during her first child's first birthday. "I wasn't even there for her first birthday which, as a new mom was a total bummer; it was really hard and was one of the deciding factors towards me retiring."
Her final moments of her playing career came in the World Cup as Ferrara Carmichael would hang it up following the tournament, and she would return to the U.S. where she's been ever since. Simone's husband, Pete, worked in Irvine, and after the family initially returned to South Bay where they began, they've since moved to Irvine with their four kids. Ferrara had spent the last 15 years being home and just kind of being a mom, something she's really cherished since missing the very first birthday. She just returned to the workforce this past year as an accounts payable manager for a logistics company.
As for the World Cup which stands days away, Ferrara is amazed by it all and excited for all the spectators to visit, see the country, and see its beauty.
"I'm not going which is killing me. I have two daughters and they both play soccer and they both are like 'why are you not going?!'."
Ferrara mentioned a big push with New Zealand and all the national team players to attend. She was gifted a jersey with the number "101" on the back, something every Fern has received with Ferrara's number coinciding with her being the 101st player to play for New Zealand. Some players that Ferrara played with are still on the national team and will be participating in this tournament.
The real reason she's not going? "I'm not going to lie; I would want to be out on the field. But it's very cool and it makes me feel very proud. I'm really happy for the New Zealand team and the coaching staff and everyone that puts everything into the program. It's fun. Just talking about this brings back so many memories, it makes me happy. UCI is an amazing school and Scott has done such great things with the program."
Born in New Zealand, Ferrara moved to the U.S. when she was four with just her mom as her aunts, uncles, and grandparents stayed behind in New Zealand. Her father, an American, was a large reason the family did come stateside and landed in Southern California.
Ferrara joined the Anteaters in 1995 with quite a large class. "There was I think 12 of us with Marine Cano as the coach. He was tough as nails, a tough coach, you either loved him or hated him."
Ferrara blossomed under his direction as she was plucked from the Olympic Developmental Pool in the area. Ferrara wasn't just making waves on the pitch once she got to campus, she was part of the track and field team as well with an understanding that she would be running in the spring and playing soccer in the fall. Ferrara was still being very raw on the soccer field as she entered the program, a better runner admittedly, but her development with coach Cano paid off.
"I was pretty skinny being a distance runner. He put so much time and effort into me, got me into the weight room and lifting," and after a really successful fall season, she stayed on in the spring with the soccer team. Ferrara and the team really clicked as a tight group and played a huge role for everyone in their success. "Cano brought us together and we had a lot of fun." The pair still catch up from time-to-time talking about games or big wins like the program's win over UCLA her freshman year.
It all culminated in two Big West Tournament runs. The 'Eaters qualified in the 1996 season and reached the Big West Final only to lose. They were back in in 1997 and again in the final playing to the 146th minute of overtime before putting home the game-winning goal for the program's first Big West title. The conference still didn't get an automatic bid that season, so the year ended there for the squad and Ferrara.
The Anteaters came back with another massive 1998 season going 14-3-3 and finishing just behind Pacific for the regular season title. With no tournament this time and an automatic berth to the regular season champion, the Anteaters were again left outside.
That didn't seem to affect Ferrara who finished her career as the program's all-time assists leader where she still stands today at 27 along with her 13 career goals and 53 points in 81 matches. She and Anteater great Nicole Bucciarelli had the opportunity to play together overseas in Italy, but Ferrara was admittedly a little burned out and wanted a break. "A graduation present for me was an airline ticket to New Zealand to spend a couple of weeks with my grandparents. I ended up doing that and not coming back."
Ferrara spent some quality time with her extended family setting up shop in New Zealand for a couple years. After a bit, she caught the soccer bug again. She ended up really missing the game and started playing in pickup games and then in a seven-a-side league, "just for fun," she thought. "One of the assistant coaches for the national team happened to be out at a match and liked me and found out that I was a New Zealand citizen. He invited me to camp and that's kind of how it all started."
The year was 2000 and Ferrara was training with the New Zealand national team along with playing league soccer in New Zealand and eventually China. Ferrara continued to play with the Football Ferns who missed a World Cup qualification in 2003, but after a three-tournament drought, the Ferns made the grade in 2007. Ferrara had a lot to do with that coming off Player of the Year honors in New Zealand, different tours around the world, a tournament in Japan, and in qualifying matches, she scored twice both coming in the same match as they would outscore their opponents 21-1 in qualification. The previous qualification in 2003, the squad outscored everyone 29-2 and five coming from Ferrara including a hat trick in a 15-0 win.
The 2007 Women's World Cup was on the horizon for the now Simone Ferrara Carmichael who had married in 2004. She had even had her first child the September before. Ferrara was plagued however with a career "filled with all kinds of disastrous injuries" as she put it. While trying out of the San Diego Spirit of the then-Women's United Soccer Association, Ferrara tore her hamstring and never played in the league.
Again, as her first shot at a World Cup was approaching, Ferrara tore her Achilles. Four months before the World Cup was to be played.
The qualifying tournament was in Papua New Guinea which required an anti-malaria medication for her and all the players. It was later determined that a side effect of the medication was ligament weakness, and as Ferrara was training back at Velocity Sports Performance in Redondo Beach, she heard a pop. Then the training sessions turned into a rehabilitation."
"I was training with a bunch of U.S. players training, doing sprint starts and different distances and it just snapped. So, I rehabbed back." Her rehab was nothing short of astonishing for her and the directors as the facility. A Press Telegram article spoke with her coach at the time, Ken Vick, who described it as "she's just blowing people away. I've seen athletes come back from huge injuries before, but this is incredible." Rehabbing an Achilles would normally take nine months to a year with six months in exceptional cases according to Vick, but here was Ferrara about to do it in four months. "I got back faster than anyone thought I would. I tested fit and they took me, but they were taking a chance."
To Ferrara's luck, New Zealand was under new tutelage as coach John Herdman who today is the head of the Canadian men's national team. "He didn't really know me but knew that I had a reputation and kind of took a chance on me and took me to the World Cup even though I wasn't 100%."
A lifelong dream of Ferrara's was within her grasp again. It was still a hard pill to swallow for her as she had been a starter for the team prior to the injury.
Ferrara got her moment entering the team's third and final match of group stage in the 82nd minute.
"The moment that I stepped on the field, my family was watching on TV and my father-in-law said he couldn't stop crying because he knew what I had been through, he was so full of emotion and will still cry talking about it today. But it was incredible, an incredible experience."
Not exactly the storybook ending for Ferrara, but a story she will never put down.
With the injuries, other setbacks were on her mind. The World Cup landed right during her first child's first birthday. "I wasn't even there for her first birthday which, as a new mom was a total bummer; it was really hard and was one of the deciding factors towards me retiring."
Her final moments of her playing career came in the World Cup as Ferrara Carmichael would hang it up following the tournament, and she would return to the U.S. where she's been ever since. Simone's husband, Pete, worked in Irvine, and after the family initially returned to South Bay where they began, they've since moved to Irvine with their four kids. Ferrara had spent the last 15 years being home and just kind of being a mom, something she's really cherished since missing the very first birthday. She just returned to the workforce this past year as an accounts payable manager for a logistics company.
As for the World Cup which stands days away, Ferrara is amazed by it all and excited for all the spectators to visit, see the country, and see its beauty.
"I'm not going which is killing me. I have two daughters and they both play soccer and they both are like 'why are you not going?!'."
Ferrara mentioned a big push with New Zealand and all the national team players to attend. She was gifted a jersey with the number "101" on the back, something every Fern has received with Ferrara's number coinciding with her being the 101st player to play for New Zealand. Some players that Ferrara played with are still on the national team and will be participating in this tournament.
The real reason she's not going? "I'm not going to lie; I would want to be out on the field. But it's very cool and it makes me feel very proud. I'm really happy for the New Zealand team and the coaching staff and everyone that puts everything into the program. It's fun. Just talking about this brings back so many memories, it makes me happy. UCI is an amazing school and Scott has done such great things with the program."
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