Ruth Harker
{{Short description|American former soccer player}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Ruth Harker
| image =
| caption =
| height = {{Height|ft=5|in=10}}
| full_name = Ruth Kay Harker{{cite magazine |title=U.S. Public Records Index, 1950–1993 |volume=1 |year=2010 |via=Ancestry.com}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1963|6|28}}
| birth_place = St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
| position = Goalkeeper
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = Pattonville Pirates
| youthyears2 = {{0|0000}}–1981
| youthclubs2 = Parkway North Vikings
| collegeyears1 = 1982–1985
| college1 = UMSL Riverwomen
| collegecaps1 =
| collegegoals1 =
| years1 = 1984–1985
| clubs1 = Busch Soccer Dome
| caps1 =
| goals1 =
| nationalyears1 = 1985
| nationalteam1 = United States
| nationalcaps1 = 3
| nationalgoals1 = 0
}}
Ruth Kay Harker (born June 28, 1963) is an American former soccer player who played as a goalkeeper, making three appearances for the United States women's national team.
Career
Harker began playing soccer at 14,{{cite news |last=Stevenson |first=Samantha |url=https://www.stlmag.com/news/sports/goalkeeper-for-the-first-united-states-womens-national-team-ruth-hark/ |title=Goalkeeper for the first U.S. Women's National Team, Ruth Harker inducted into St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame |work=St. Louis Magazine |date=October 11, 2019 |access-date=July 21, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721142318/https://www.stlmag.com/news/sports/goalkeeper-for-the-first-united-states-womens-national-team-ruth-hark/ |archive-date=July 21, 2020}} initially as a midfielder before moving into goal.{{cite news |last=Burnes |first=Cathie |location=St. Louis, Missouri |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/140968789/ |title=Stopper: UMSL's Ruth Harker Shuts Door on Goals |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=September 26, 1985 |page=12 |via=Newspapers.com}} She was quickly noticed by coaches, earning her overseas training sessions in Sweden in Finland. Harker attended high school at Pattonville and later Parkway North, where she participated in basketball, cross country running, and track and field, in addition to soccer.{{cite news |last=Noss |first=Dan |url=https://www.umsl.edu/~libweb/university-archives/Student%20Newspaper/Current,%201984-1986/1985/September%205,%201985.pdf |title=Ruth Harker: UMSL Riverwomen's World Class Soccer Goalkeeper |newspaper=The Current |publisher=University of Missouri–St. Louis |pages=7–8 |date=September 5, 1985 |issue=519 |access-date=July 22, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722014359/https://www.umsl.edu/~libweb/university-archives/Student%20Newspaper/Current,%201984-1986/1985/September%205,%201985.pdf |archive-date=July 22, 2020}}{{cite magazine |title=U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880–2012: Pattonville High School |magazine=Pattonville High School |volume=XLII |year=1979 |via=Ancestry.com}} She played for the UMSL Riverwomenh in college from 1982 to 1985, and was selected in the All-Region team in all four seasons, as well as the All-West first team.{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/umsl.sidearmsports.com/documents/2018/7/2/18_wsoc_records.pdf |title=2018 Women's Soccer History & Records Book |publisher=UMSL Tritons |year=2018 |access-date=August 11, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811064133/https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/umsl.sidearmsports.com/documents/2018/7/2/18_wsoc_records.pdf |archive-date=August 11, 2019}} She was the team captain as a senior in 1985, and won the team's most valuable player award that season. Harker is the school's all-time leader in shutouts (38), and ranks third in career goals-against average (0.75) and fourth in career saves (255). She also holds the top two records for shutouts in a single season at the school, with 12 in 1982 and 11 in 1985.{{cite web |url=https://www.umsltritons.com/honors/umsl-sports-hall-of-fame/ruth-harker/94 |title=Ruth Harker |work=UMSL Tritons |year=2020 |access-date=July 22, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722013740/https://www.umsltritons.com/honors/umsl-sports-hall-of-fame/ruth-harker/94 |archive-date=July 22, 2020}}
After reaching the semi-finals of the USASA National Women's Amateur with the Busch Soccer Dome club team in 1984 and 1985,{{cite news |last=Irish |first=Arnold |location=St. Louis, Missouri |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=52085459 |title=Former MISL Referee Gives Coaching a Try |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=June 22, 1984 |page=6D |via=Newspapers.com}} Harker was invited to the 1985 U.S. Olympic Festival. She was chosen as one of the most valuable players at the Olympic Festival, and was selected to play in the first matches of the United States women's national team. She made her international debut for the U.S. on August 21, 1985, at the Mundialito against Denmark, coming on as a substitute for Kim Wyant. She earned her second cap two days later against England. Her final appearance came August 24 in a rematch against Denmark.{{cite web |url=https://d1dhn91mufybwl.cloudfront.net/downloads/pdfs/hnsgji9zhm/hnsgji9zhm_print.pdf |title=2022 U.S. Women's National Team Media Guide |publisher=United States Soccer Federation |year=2022 |access-date=March 3, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303185149/https://d1dhn91mufybwl.cloudfront.net/downloads/pdfs/hnsgji9zhm/hnsgji9zhm_print.pdf |archive-date=March 3, 2022}}{{cite web |url=https://www.ussoccer.com/uswnt-stats |title=2022 USWNT Statistics |publisher=United States Soccer Federation |access-date=February 21, 2022}}
In 2014, Harker's 1981 and 1982 women's soccer teams were inducted into the UMSL Sports Hall of Fame.{{cite web |url=https://www.umsltritons.com/hof.aspx?hof=75 |title=UMSL Sports Hall of Fame: Teams (1981 & 1982 Women's Soccer) |publisher=UMSL Tritons |access-date=August 11, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811064435/https://www.umsltritons.com/hof.aspx?hof=75 |archive-date=August 11, 2019}} In 2019, she was inducted into the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame.{{cite news |last=Dieringer |first=Amber |url=https://stlsportspage.com/2019/02/25/former-umsl-soccer-player-ruth-harker-among-those-announced-for-st-louis-soccer-hof/ |title=Former UMSL soccer player Ruth Harker among those announced for St. Louis Soccer HOF |website=STLSportsPage.com |date=February 25, 2019 |access-date=August 11, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811064805/https://stlsportspage.com/2019/02/25/former-umsl-soccer-player-ruth-harker-among-those-announced-for-st-louis-soccer-hof/ |archive-date=August 11, 2019}} Harker herself was inducted into the UMSL Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.
Personal life
Harker was raised in St. Louis and has been blind in her left eye since birth.{{cite web |url=https://stlsoccerhalloffame.com/member/harker-ruth-2019/ |title=Harker, Ruth 2019 |website=St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame |year=2019 |access-date=August 11, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811064635/https://stlsoccerhalloffame.com/member/harker-ruth-2019/ |archive-date=August 11, 2019}} She works as the vice president and director of technical support at Swan Packaging in St. Louis, and has two children.{{cite web |url=http://swanpackaginginc.com/team/ruth-harker/ |title=Ruth Harker: Vice President & Director of Technical Support |work=Swan Packaging, Inc. |access-date=3 June 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603022324/http://swanpackaginginc.com/team/ruth-harker/ |archive-date=3 June 2020}}
Career statistics
=International=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | ||
| colspan=3|United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1985 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 |
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harker, Ruth}}
Category:Soccer players from St. Louis
Category:American women's soccer players
Category:United States women's international soccer players
Category:Women's association football goalkeepers
Category:UMSL Tritons women's soccer players
Category:Sportspeople with visual impairment
Category:American blind people