Colette Helen Cunningham (formerly Landon; born July 1, 1971) is an American former

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who played as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

, making two appearances for the United States women's national team.

Career

In high school, Cunningham was a four-year varsity player for the Lake Braddock Bruins soccer team, which won the state championship in her senior year. She also played basketball during her high school career. In college, she played for the

Marymount Saints Marymount University is a private Catholic university with its main campus in Arlington, Virginia. Marymount offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. It has approximately 3,897 students enrolled, representing approximately 45 states an ...

in her freshman year of 1989, scoring 39 goals and registering 20 assists in 18 appearances. She holds the NCAA Division III record for most points (goals and assists) in a season (98) and most points per game in a season (5.44). The following year she joined the

NC State Wolfpack The NC State Wolfpack is the nickname of the athletic teams representing North Carolina State University. The Wolfpack competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for college footb ...

, where she played until 1992 and was a letter-winner. She scored 42 goals and registed 22 assists during her three seasons with the Wolfpack. She was selected in the ACC All-Tournament team in 1991, as well as the All-ACC First Team in 1991 and 1992. Cunningham made her international debut for the United States on August 14, 1992 in a

friendly Friendly may refer to: Places * Friendly, West Yorkshire, a settlement in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England * Friendly, Maryland, an unincorporated community in the United States * Friendly, Eugene, Oregon, a neighborhood in the United States * ...

match against Norway, which finished as a 1–3 loss. She earned her second and final cap two days later against the same opponent, which finished as a 2–4 loss. In 1994 Cunningham played for the

indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor socc ...

for the Washington Warthogs of the CISL. She recorded two assists in twelve regular season appearances and one postseason game, becoming the first woman to register a point in U.S. men's professional soccer. She played for the

Maryland Pride The Maryland Pride was an WPSL club based in Howard County, Maryland Howard County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2010 census, the population was 287,085. As of the 2020 census its population rose to 328,200. Its count ...

in the USL W-League from 1997 to 1999, winning the 1996 championship. Following the season, she moved to Italy to play in Rome for Lazio of Serie A. In 1995, she moved to Sporting Sorrento Crems in Sorrento (near Naples), where she played until 1998. She also played for the

in 1997 upon return to the U.S. for the off-season. In 1998, she returned to the United States to care for her ill father and continued playing for the Maryland Pride. She also played for the Soccer Academy United team which won three USASA National Women's Amateur titles. Cunningham also was an assistant coach for the

American Eagles The American Eagles are the athletics teams that represent the American University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition. American is a member of the Patriot League in all sports except wrestling, where it i ...

in 1994. She was inducted into the Virginia–D.C. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2019.

Personal life

Cunningham gave birth to her son Kevin in 1996. In 1999, she began a career in law enforcement, and currently works as a patrol lieutenant for the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office in Loudoun County, Virginia. She was born with the surname Cunningham, and later took the married name Landon, which she no longer uses.

Career statistics

International

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunningham, Colette 1971 births Living people Soccer players from Virginia American women's soccer players American women's soccer coaches American women's basketball players Basketball players from Virginia United States women's international soccer players American expatriate women's soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate women's footballers in Italy Women's association football forwards Marymount Saints women's soccer players NC State Wolfpack women's soccer players Washington Warthogs players SS Lazio Women 2015 players Continental Indoor Soccer League players USL W-League (1995–2015) players Serie A (women's football) players American Eagles women's soccer coaches American women police officers Sportspeople from Loudoun County, Virginia Female players in men's indoor soccer