Last fall, Nesbitt was part of a group of the first women to officiate at a men's World Cup. This year, she was part of the first American crew to work a women's World Cup final.
Nesbitt grew up in Rochester, N.Y. and later studied chemistry at nearby St. John Fisher. She earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh, then split her time between teaching chemistry at Michigan and later, Towson — while also refereeing. She moved to Philadelphia in 2019, and a few weeks before she headed to France for that year’s women’s World Cup, she decided to focus fully on soccer.
“I kind of knew that I had something special going on with refereeing, and I wanted to see what would happen if I put all my time and effort into it,” she said. “So that’s ultimately how I decided to leave my job in chemistry and focus solely on refereeing.”Nesbitt still vividly remembers the moment she learned of her first World Cup trip: the middle of a workout run in Baltimore. And not because FIFA told her. The press release got posted to social media, and word started spreading.
“I could feel my phone on my arm buzzing like crazy, and I’m like, ‘Why am I getting so many messages? What’s going on?’” Nesbitt said. “So I actually stopped, turned my phone over, looked at it, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to a World Cup.’ And let me tell you, the rest of that run, I mean, I’ve never run so fast in my life, I was so excited.
After a few games as a video review official and a few more as a backup assistant at stadiums, she finally got on the sideline for the England-Senegal game in the round of 16. Her trip was capped off with serving as the reserve assistant referee for the final. “That round of 16 game … will probably be forever my favorite game that I’ve ever done,” Nesbitt said. “And then to get the final I mean, that’s just the biggest thing that we can do in our careers. I was absolutely shocked, but very excited to know that I had earned that — but also, to get to represent what women can do, to really show our abilities.”
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Hitting the Books: Meet Richard Akrwright, the world's first tech titanIn Blood in the Machine, LA Times tech reporter Brian Merchant lays bare the inhumane cost of capitalism wrought by the industrial revolution.
Read more »
US women's team ready to turn the page on disappointing World CupThe U.S. women's soccer team will take time to address their worst-ever performance at a Women's World Cup before shifting focus to next year's Paris Olympics, interim head coach Twila Kilgore said on Tuesday.
Read more »
U.S. women’s soccer roster under interim coach similar to team in World CupAll the players who went to the World Cup are on the squad, except for Sophia Smith and Kristie Mewis, who are both nursing injuries.
Read more »
Spain star Olga Carmona ‘angry’ that Luis Rubiales’ unwanted kiss tarnished Women’s World Cup victoryOlga Carmona, the Spanish soccer star who scored the winning goal in the Women’s World Cup final, said it made her “angry” that Luis Rubiales’ unwanted kiss on teammate Jennifer Hermoso overshadowed the team’s historic victory.
Read more »
Rubiales summoned by Spanish judge investigating his kiss of player at Women's World CupThe former president of Spain’s soccer federation been ordered to give testimony to a Spanish judge investigating his kiss of a player at the Women’s World Cup.
Read more »
Rubiales summoned by Spanish judge investigating his kiss of player at Women's World CupThe former president of Spain’s soccer federation been ordered to give testimony to a Spanish judge investigating his kiss of a player at the Women’s World Cup
Read more »