Ali Riley Bio
Alexandra Lowe Riley MNZM (born 30 October 1987) is a former professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in the United States, she represented the New Zealand national team. She captained both her club and national teams. As a collegiate athlete, she captained the Stanford soccer team to two NCAA semi-finals and one final.
Early Life and Background
Born in Los Angeles, California, Alexandra Riley is the daughter of John Graham Riley and Beverly Fong Lowe. She attended St. Matthew’s Parish School in Pacific Palisades and later Harvard-Westlake School in North Hollywood, California. During her senior year, she was named captain of the soccer team and earned accolades as a two-time Mission League Offensive MVP and a two-time first-team San Fernando Valley selection. Riley played a pivotal role in leading her high school team to the 2006 Southern Section Division I final and was recognized on the All-CIF Southern Section Division I first team. She also competed for local soccer clubs LA Breakers FC and Real SoCal. Riley continued her soccer journey at Stanford University, where she played for the Stanford Cardinal from 2006 to 2009. In her freshman year, she started in fifteen of the eighteen matches and scored four goals with two assists. As a sophomore, she played sixteen games, starting fourteen, and contributed two goals and two assists. In her junior year, she transitioned from forward to an outside back, a position she would predominantly play thereafter. By her senior year, she started in all twenty-four games, scoring one goal and providing one assist.
Path to Soccer
After her collegiate career, Riley was selected as the tenth pick in the first round of the 2010 Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) Draft by FC Gold Pride. During her time with the team, she played as a left wing-back and had three assists, helping the team secure the WPS championship. Her performance earned her the WPS Rookie of the Year award. Following the dissolution of FC Gold Pride, she signed with the Western New York Flash for the 2011 season, where she was a finalist for Defender of the Year as the Flash won both the league season title and the 2011 WPS Championship. In 2012, she moved to LdB FC Malmö (later known as FC Rosengård), where she continued to excel, contributing to the team’s success in the Damallsvenskan.
Ali Riley Career
Early Career (2009-2011)
Riley began her professional career with Pali Blues in 2009 before moving to FC Gold Pride in 2010. Her contributions helped the team win the WPS championship, and she was recognized as the Rookie of the Year. In 2011, she joined the Western New York Flash, where she played a key role in the team’s championship victory.
Breakthrough (2012-2018)
After the WPS folded, Riley signed with LdB FC Malmö in 2012, where she quickly made an impact by assisting on the winning goal in her first game. She re-signed with the team for multiple seasons, contributing to their dominance in the Damallsvenskan, winning league titles in 2014 and 2015. In 2018, she joined Chelsea in the English FA Women’s Super League, further expanding her career internationally.
Notable Works and Milestones
Throughout her career, Riley has been a significant figure in women’s soccer, known for her leadership and defensive skills. She has won multiple league championships and has been a consistent performer at both the club and international levels.
Ali Riley Award Nominations
Throughout her career, Ali Riley has received various nominations recognizing her contributions to women’s soccer, particularly during her time in the Women’s Professional Soccer league and her international play with New Zealand.
Ali Riley Awards Won
Ali Riley has won several awards throughout her career, including the WPS Rookie of the Year and multiple league championships with her clubs.
Ali Riley Family
Ali Riley is engaged to Lucas Warrer Nilsson. She is of Chinese descent, with her father being a native New Zealander and her mother being Chinese-American.
Personal Life
Riley is a self-identified flexitarian and has a cooking show called Girls Gone Veg, which she co-founded with fellow soccer player Toni Pressley. In 2025, she announced that her home had been destroyed in the Palisades Fire. She is set to retire from professional soccer at the end of the 2025 NWSL season.