Angel City Goalkeeper Hannah Seabert Sets Retirement For End Of Current Season

Angel City FC goalkeeper Hannah Seabert will step away from playing at the conclusion of the current season.

Seabert, 31, announced her decision to retire after this year's campaign ends. She joined the Los Angeles club last year after spending eight years competing overseas. Her time abroad included stops in Denmark, Norway and Portugal. She began that stretch in 2017, following a single season with the Orlando Pride. Seabert said she first went to Europe to secure playing time. "I went to Europe to get playing opportunities and I just had an amazing time over there," she said. "I had so many opportunities to play for championship teams and win championships, travel the world and experience life over there."

The goalkeeper described her departure as a difficult choice. "As athletes, we kind of put everything into our career and it really becomes part of your identity. So it kind of feels like I'm losing a part of myself," Seabert said. She added that she values having control over the timing of her exit. "There's been a whole grieving process around it, but I think that's very natural and within the grieving process, there's also a lot of healing," she said.

Her path to professional soccer began in Riverside, where she attended Woodcrest Christian High School. During her time with the school's team, Seabert recorded 31 shutouts and 277 saves while allowing 41 goals. She moved on to Pepperdine University, where she posted 331 saves. The West Coast Conference named her Goalkeeper of the Year in 2016.

Seabert first played in goal at age 11 because her team needed a player for the position. She recalled her early experiences between the posts with reluctance. "Honestly, I was a really timid kid and when I was little. I would cry every time I got scored on," Seabert said. "I hated failing, but I think it taught me a lot of resilience. I had fun with it though. I chose to stay there."

At Angel City, Seabert appeared in four matches last season and secured two shutout victories. She expressed a strong preference for the club when the opportunity arose. "When Angel City came into the conversation, that was it for me, I knew that was exactly where I wanted to be," she said. "It's been fun to be part of a club that has clear goals. We're a few years in, the club is still striving for that first championship."