Ottawa Rapid goalkeeper combines PhD studies with Northern Super League career

This undated handout photo shows goalkeeper Mollie Eriksson in action with North Mississauga SC of League1 Ontario. The former Swedish youth international has signed with Ottawa Rapid FC of the Northern Super League. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Ottawa Rapid FC-Martin Bayzl **MANDATORY CREDIT**

Newly signed to Ottawa Rapid FC, former Swedish youth international Mollie Eriksson is looking to help build the Northern Super League from the ground up.

And with a degree in neuroscience behind her, the PhD student could be doing it as doctor/goalkeeper.

“I sure hope so,” Eriksson, who grew up in Ottawa, said cheerfully.

Eriksson is the first goalkeeper announced by Ottawa, whose biggest signing to date has been 37-year-old midfielder Desiree Scott, a veteran of 187 Canadian caps.

“I can’t wait to learn from her,” said Eriksson.

In choosing to play for Ottawa, Eriksson is reunited with Rapid technical director Kristina Kiss, a former Canadian international who coached her at the West Ottawa Soccer Club.

“One of the best coaches I’ve ever played for,” Eriksson said of Kiss. “She has an absolutely amazing ability to inspire her players and really help them achieve their utmost potential.”

At 24, Eriksson has already packed a lot in on and off the football pitch.

Born in Stockholm to a Canadian mother and Swedish father, the family came to Canada when Eriksson was young — moving around before eventually settling in Ottawa in 2008.

Her father, a former member of the Swedish military who now is an Air Canada pilot, met her mother, a native of Revelstoke, while on a ski trip in B.C.

Eriksson attended the same high school as Ottawa teammate Liv Scott and the two represented Ontario along with fellow Rapid players Melanie Forbes and Emily Amano. Eriksson is also no stranger to Ottawa teammate Julia Benati, having played against the former League1 Ontario MVP with FC London.

She played collegiate soccer at DePaul in Chicago where she made 75 appearances, all starts, with 19 shutouts and a 1.11 goals-against average. She was named to the Big East freshman team after finishing with an 0.86 goals-against average across 19 games.

Eriksson has spent the last three years with North Mississauga SC in League1 Ontario, where she was a finalist for goalkeeper of the year the last two seasons. In 2024, she was named to the Women’s Premier Division Second Team All-Stars.

Eriksson also played for Darby FC in League1 Ontario as well as NDC Ontario, which previously was part of a regional development program known as REX.

Before the original REX program lost funding, Eriksson was called into two Canadian under-17 camps. When she was not picked for the under-17 team, she started to look to Sweden with her family considering moving back there.

In 2016, she went in Sweden to pursue her football dream and spent time with several local teams before a training stint with Rosenborg. A coach with the national program spotted her and Eriksson found herself playing for both the Swedish under-16 and under-17 teams.

Off the field, it was a crash course in improving her Swedish, which is now pretty good.

When the REX program resurfaced as NDC Ontario, Eriksson returned and subsequently attended three Canadian under-20 camps before attending DePaul. Her next invitation came from the Swedish under-23 side, her last international camp.

Eriksson hopes her play in the NSL will open more international doors, either with Canada or Sweden.

While a goalkeeper by trade, Eriksson has played at centre back in League1 Ontario reserve games. As a result, her distribution as a goalkeeper is excellent.

Kiss calls her an “unwavering presence between the posts.”

“A great shot-stopper who commands her area with confidence, she also excels in playing out from the back, seamlessly transitioning from defence to attack,” Kiss added in a statement. “Her composure and tactical awareness make her an invaluable asset to the team.”

Eriksson brings a lot of brain power as well.

After completing a degree in neuroscience at DePaul, she started a master’s degree in psychology and neuroscience at McMaster University in Hamilton. After her first year, she was promoted to the PhD program and is now studying how personality influences mental health in adolescent populations.

She has three years left in the program.

Eriksson won’t be the only Ottawa player expanding her horizons outside of soccer. On Monday, the club announced the signing of former Norwegian youth international defender Susanne Haaland, who has a master’s degree in law and has been working part time with a think-tank, focusing primarily on environmental issues and legal and human rights.

While it is early days, Eriksson has nothing but good things to say about the six-team NSL, which kicks off April 16.

“It’s incredible to see all the resources, and, quite frankly, all the money being put toward this,” she said. “And it’s really exciting, because we live in a world where money speaks. So I think it speaks a lot, the investment in women’s sports and this having a future. So far I’m really impressed.”

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2025.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press