Following a successful collegiate career stateside, Mya Sanchez has packed her bags to the Emerald Isle to continue playing professionally.
On Feb. 25, it was announced that Sanchez, a 2022 graduate of Pitman High School who went on to star at Oregon State, had signed with Shelbourne Football Club, based in Northside, Dublin and competing in the League of Ireland’s Premier Division. It’s a career move that the Turlock native had been working towards for her entire life.
“For as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to be a professional soccer player,” Sanchez said. “It’s been a dream come true that I get to do what I love everyday as my job now.
“The decision to move overseas was a difficult one to make, especially leaving family and everything I knew back home, but I knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.”
Sanchez, 21, has made an immediate impact as the starting goalkeeper for “Shels” through the first two matches of the 2026 campaign.
The former Pride standout’s professional career began on one of the biggest stages in Irish women’s soccer, the annual Women’s President’s Cup, where the top two teams from the season prior face off in a celebratory event. Facing reigning Premier League champion Athlone Town in the March 8 fixture (International Women’s Day), Sanchez recorded three saves and surrendered the day’s only goal in a sequence in which many Shels players thought was an offsides violation from Athlone.
The official league opener came on Saturday, at home at famed Tolka Park, against Treaty United. The Shels won 2-0 backed by Sanchez’s six saves amid 16 total shots. The match marked her first career shutout and gave the fans a positive result to kick off a proper week of St. Patrick’s celebrations.
Sanchez and the Shels will look to improve to 2-0 on Saturday against the Wexford Youths.
“The experience so far has been great,” Sanchez said. “The girls at Shels have been so welcoming, as have the staff, and I’ve had a great time with everyone so far. There’s a lot of quality players on this team and I’m excited to hopefully bring home some silverware this season.”
Shelbourne leadership believes she is the right woman for the job.
“Mya is a goalkeeper who has a lot of quality. She is comfortable in possession and is commanding in her box,” said coach Sean Russell. “We are delighted to bring her to Shelbourne Football Club.”
Added Technical Director Luke Byrne: “Mya has all the attributes we were looking for in a goalkeeper to suit how we want to play. She’s got a good presence and plays with a confidence. We’re very happy she has chosen Shelbourne as the next step in her career.”
Sanchez shared that Shelbourne expressed interest in her early in 2026, shortly after the conclusion of her senior season at Oregon State.
A four-year standout with the Beavers, Sanchez amassed 210 saves over 45 matches, ranking sixth in Oregon State program history.
Standing 5-foot-10, Sanchez established herself as one of the top goalkeepers in the West Coast Conference, earning All-WCC Honorable Mention twice and WCC Defensive Player of the Week honors three times.
During her senior season in the fall of 2025, Sanchez started all 19 matches, ranking second in the WCC with 101 saves. Her performances included a standout 10-save display away at San Francisco on Oct. 8, as well as multiple eight-save outings throughout the season.
At Pitman, Sanchez was named to the All-Central California Athletic League First Team in 2019 and 2020, and earned Journal All-Region Team CCAL Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2019.
Sanchez thanked her family and friends for supporting her decision to play professionally in Europe.
“I’m so grateful that my fiancé was willing to support me in this decision and journey and make the move overseas with me as well. Having her support here, as well as my family's support back at home, has really made this a dream come true. I wouldn’t be able to do it without them.”
