Jun 28, 2023
The Full Ninety: Addy Weichers
Balance is the story of Addy Weichers’ life. Playing the defensive midfield role, she sits between the attack and the defense. As the only girl among her three siblings, she’s connected with her family through soccer and traveling. On Utah State’s roster, she’s listed as “Symonds-Weichers” – another balancing act as a newlywed.
Through it all, Weichers is a Rusty Tacos eating, Grey’s Anatomy watching, heart of gold woman.
The Minute:
Weichers wears number 16 on her jersey, but that wasn’t always the case. Her first choice was 15, for her birthday January 15th, but another teammate already had the number at Utah State. She opted for 16 instead. Now, the number is significant as someone else’s birthday – her husband’s on July 16th.
Weichers met Josh in middle school, and they married in December of 2022. The pair were long distance while Josh did mission work in Romania, and their reunion was extra special on July 23, 2022 – the day of the USL W League Final.
“Josh is my best friend, and he makes life fun. He’s somebody that makes me laugh every day,” said Weichers. “People look at getting married young like, ‘oh my gosh,’ but I like it because we’re growing up together. We’re learning things together, creating a life.”
The Half:
Weichers started playing soccer around age four, the “classic rec league.” How she stayed in the sport is a different story.
“There’s a lot of things about soccer that make it fun,” said Weichers. “It’s being in a game, the friendships you make, the coaches, the environment, the community. It’s brought me closer to my family, and that’s why I love the game.”
One of her favorite soccer moments with her family was seeing FC Barcelona when Messi, Neymar, and Suarez spearheaded Barca’s attack.
However, it wasn’t all easygoing. From a torn ACL to a delayed recruiting process, Weichers knows everything happened for a reason.
In 2022, the USL W League was new for everyone, including Weichers. After her season at Utah State, she planned to play for a local WPSL team during the summer, but her future changed after a conversation with her assistant coach.
“He said, ‘There’s a new league,’ and explained that it sat below the NWSL. The first team he knew of that was looking for players was in Georgia. He was actually talking about Tormenta.”
The Match:
Weichers never made it to Georgia, instead finding a connection to Minnesota Aurora through Jennie Clark from her previous coaching in Utah. She would, however, face off against Tormenta in the 2022 USL W League Final and score the league’s Goal of the Year.
“The only thing I remember is the throw Kenzie [Langdok] took to my feet. It was on for a quick restart. I don’t remember how I thought to shoot, but it just happened,” said Wiechers. “It was an out-of-body, one-of-a-kind experience to celebrate with my team in the championship game.”
Weicher’s Goal of the Year is only one facet of her unique career with Minnesota Aurora.
“There isn’t just one thing that makes this team special. It’s not just one player or a person – it’s the whole community,” said Weichers. “Everywhere we go, everyone knows about this team, and the support makes it such a fun environment. It really is ‘For Community, By Community,’ and it’s made me fall in love with soccer all over again.”
Aurora’s top-tier environment has grown both Weicher’s love of the game and her skills. Weichers plays center back alongside her fellow Aurora teammates Kylie Olsen and Kelsey Kaufusi at Utah State, but in Minnesota, she’s learned a lot shifting into a defensive midfield role.
“It’s all about balance, balancing the midfield and the back line,” said Weichers. “You have to be aware of what’s going on around the field to make the best decision possible. I’m constantly checking my shoulder to know when I can go forward versus stay back.”
She’s also expanding her free kick repertoire. In high school, Weichers took some free kicks, but corners are new since joining Aurora. Like playing the six role, taking corners is all about balance.
“When I take corners, my mindset is just getting it in a good spot to make it easy on my teammates. Not too close to the goalie, not too far out, timing it with runs at the right pace.”
Her balanced mindset has paid dividends in 2023. Weichers’ chemistry with center back Tianna Harris is off the charts as she’s found Harris’ head on for four corner kick goals – half of her eight career assists.
The Goal
Everything Weichers has gone through led her to Aurora, but her story won’t end here.
“It all worked out in the end, and I know it happened for a reason,” said Weichers. “My goal is to play professionally, and I think the journey to get me to where I am now Is going to help me reach that goal. Aurora acts like a professional team, and I know that they have the connections to help get me there.”
