Two women who are helping develop young soccer players in Clark County have been recognized for their place in Washington soccer history.
As part of Washington Youth Soccer’s celebration of its 50th anniversary, Tina (Frimpong) Ellertson and Katarina Tarr were recognized this summer as two of the state’s all-time best female players.
Ellertson was selected one of the 18 best female players in state history by a five-person committee.
“It just makes me smile,” said Ellertson, a 2000 Hudson’s Bay High School graduate who is the Development Academy Director for Salmon Creek Soccer Club. She called the recognition an honor.
“It’s super awesome to be part of a select group of women who have accomplished so much,” Ellertson said.
Among the 18 players selected to the state’s all-time best roster were current U.S. Women’s National Team goalkeeper Hope Solo and former national team standout Michelle Akers.
Ellertson, 34, played college soccer for the University of Washington — and last fall was named to the Pac-10 Conference All-Century Team for women’s soccer. She played in 33 games for the U.S. Women’s National Team between 2005 and 2008.
Ellertson is the girls soccer coach for King’s Way Christian High School. She coaches at U.S. Soccer Federation training centers in Oregon. Her FC Salmon Creek Nemesis girls team recently played at the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships.
Tarr, who played at Fort Vancouver and Columbia River in high school and at Missouri in college, joined Ellertson on a list of the 50 all-time best players from Washington that was determined by an online vote.
“It was pretty amazing,” Tarr said. “Some of the names on that list are the best players on the planet and players I look up to. It was really cool.”
The Junior Academy Program Director for Vancouver’s Washington Timbers youth soccer club, Tarr was recently one of 15 women selected for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America 2016-17 30-under-30 class. The year-long program provides unique mentoring and education opportunities for the coaches selected.
“Coaching education is what I’m really passionate about,” said Tarr, 29. She will have Jennifer Pfeiffer, the Director of Coaching for the Arkansas State Soccer Association, as her mentor.
“It’s just going to open up so many doors for me,” Tarr said, noting that she will have a chance to interact with coaches from around the world. “It’s really important. There’s so many of us who are trying to make the transition into being a coach or director or college coach, you need a lot of support for that.”
