Anna Jessica Leat (born 26 June 2001) is a New Zealand footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Aston Villa in the Women's Super League and New Zealand women's national football team
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anna Jessica Leat[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2001-06-26) 26 June 2001 (age 21) | ||
| Place of birth | Arrowtown, New Zealand[2] | ||
| Height | 173 cm (5 ft 8 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Aston Villa | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| East Coast Bays | |||
| Glenfield Rovers | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2021 | Georgetown Hoyas | 18 | (0) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2022 | West Ham United | 4 | (0) |
| 2022– | Aston Villa | 4 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2016–2018 | New Zealand U17 | 12 | (0) |
| 2018 | New Zealand U20 | 7 | (0) |
| 2017– | New Zealand | 9[3] | (0) |
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 November 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 October 2022 | |||
Leat was born in Arrowtown.[4] She attended Rangitoto College in Auckland and was named the school's Sportswomen of the Year in 2017 and 2018.[5][6][7]
In February 2019, Leat started studying at Georgetown University and joined the Georgetown Hoyas as a freshman.[8] she would play 18 games, starting in 16 and only allowing 19 goals, helping the Hoyas to 10 wins.[5] She returned to New Zealand after the coronavirus pandemic began.[9]
Leat played for both East Coast Bays and Glenfield Rovers while at high school.[4][10] While playing for East Coast Bays, she became the first female to be named in a Chatham Cup squad in the 2021 edition.[11][12]
On 7 August 2021 it was announced that Leat had signed with West Ham United who play in the FA Women's Super League.[13] On 11 May 2022, West Ham United confirmed that Leat was not offered a new contract and would depart at the end of the season.[14]
On 13 July 2022 Aston Villa announced the signing of Leat for the 2022–23 season.[15] Leat made her Villa debut on 1 October 2022, in a FA Women's League Cup game against Manchester United. After the match ended in a 1–1 draw, Aston Villa won on penalties thanks to four saves by Leat.[16]
Leat made her senior starting début at 16 years old,[13] in a 5–0 win over Thailand on 28 November 2017.[17][7]
On 25 November 2018, Leat was part of the New Zealand U17 side who became the first New Zealand team in either women's or men's football to qualify for a semi-final at a World Cup. Leat helped the team win its quarter-final against Japan at the U-17 Women's World Cup in Uruguay by saving two penalties and scoring the winning goal.[2] Her final penalty goal won the public vote as the favourite sporting moment at the 2018 Halberg Awards.[18] The team would then lose 0–2 to Spain in the semi-final[19] but win New Zealand's first ever medal at a World Cup by beating Canada in the third place match.[20]
Leat has also played at the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Jordan,[21] the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in France,[22][23] the 2019 FFA Cup of Nations,[24] the 2020 Algarve Cup.[25] and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.[26]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Others[lower-alpha 1] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| West Ham United | 2021–22 | FAWSL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Aston Villa | 2022–23 | FAWSL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Career total | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 2017 | 3 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 0 | |
National team U-17
Individual
Aston Villa W.F.C. – current squad | |
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New Zealand women's football squad – 2020 Summer Olympics | ||
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2020 New Zealand Olympic team | |
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Chef de Mission: Rob Waddell | |