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Rebekah Splaine Salwasser (born October 4, 1978 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) is a retired American soccer player who played for the Boston Breakers. Since retiring from professional soccer, she has worked for various charitable organizations, including the Boston Red Sox's Red Sox Foundation.

Early life and education

Rebekhah Splaine was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 4, 1978 to John and Esther Splaine, and was the second youngest of her five siblings. She began playing soccer when she was four years old. She attended Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, where she played varsity-level basketball, soccer, and lacrosse. She earned the distinction of being named All-New England twice in basketball; her junior year, she achieved All-American recognition in both soccer and lacrosse. Due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, she did not play her senior year.

Salwasser graduated from Brown University.

Career

While attending Brown University, Salwasser played for the school's soccer team. In 1998, she was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Throughout her tenure at Brown, she received All-Ivy honors three times and All-Region honors twice.

In 2000, Salwasser joined the semi-professional USL W-League, where she played for and captained the Boston Renegades. During her tenure, the team won two league championships. In 2003, she was selected to play for the Boston Breakers in the professional Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA). WUSA folded the following year.

Following her athletic career, Salwasser took on executive roles with various charitable organizations, including the Charlestown Lacrosse & Learning Center, Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, and Boston Scholar Athletes Program.

In 2018, Salwasser became the executive director for the Red Sox Foundation. Two years later, she took on the role of the Chair to the Boston Red Sox's Social Justice, Equity & Inclusion Advisory Committee.

Although Salwasser transitioned to a more corporate career, she continued to play for the Boston Aztec, an amateur soccer team.

Honors

Salwasser has received various honors for her charitable work. In 2013, the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education and Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce named her one of the city's emerging leaders. In 2018, Boston Business Journal included Salwasser on their "40 Under 40" list, and Boston Magazine named her and her husband one of the city's top five "power couples." In 2020, WISE Boston called her a "Woman of Inspiration."

Personal life

Salwasse lives in Dorchester, Boston with her husband and children.

References

1. "4 - Rebekah Splaine". Women's United Soccer Association. Archived from the original on 2003-07-07. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
2. "Rebekah Splaine women's soccer Statistics". StatsCrew.com. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
3. ^ O'Brien, Kelly. "Rebekah Splaine Salwasser: Building a Village in Boston". Boston.com. Archived from the original on 2023-08-06. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
4. ^ "Black History Month 2020: Rebekah Splaine Salwasser '01, Women's Soccer". Brown University Athletics. 2020-02-20. Archived from the original on 2023-08-06. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
5. ^ "Rebekah Splaine Salwasser". MLB.com. Archived from the original on 2023-08-06. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
6. Conti, Kathleen (2017-11-14). "Red Sox Foundation names new executive director". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2023-08-06. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
7. Cutts, Evan J. (2022-03-28). "Rebekah Salwasser: How to Pivot with Grace". Color Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-06-09. Retrieved 2023-08-17.

External links

• Salwasser's 2018 TEDx Talk: "The Power of Sport"

• 1978 births
• Living people
• Sportspeople from Cambridge, Massachusetts
• American women's soccer players
• African-American soccer players
• Boston Breakers (WUSA) players
• Brown Bears women's soccer players
• Women's association football midfielders
• Women's United Soccer Association players