Photo: Rachel Bach
The NPLW has seen a number of talented imports bless Victorian shores in 2017, but American centre-half Mikahila Bowden may just take the title for the very best of the bunch.
Schooled in the sunny seaside setting of Orange County, the Cali girl was a once-in-a-generation player for Ocean View High, where playing as a midfielder, Bowden twice won the league’s Offensive MVP award in her formative years.
She amassed a whopping average of nine goals and 20 assists a season during her high school years; so promising was Bowden’s early career that Ocean View honoured her by retiring the number four jersey she wore throughout her four-year career with the side.
She unsurprisingly progressed through to the college system where Bowden found a new lease of life as a centre-half.
Her destination was a two-hour flight north to compete with the Boise State Broncos, where she broke the school record for career starts – 81 games in four seasons – and the record for career minutes played – 7,694 at an average of just under 93 minutes per game (including extra time).
Amongst her other honours include Boise State Rookie of the Year 2011 and their Defensive MVP for 2012-13, three appearances in the All-Conference Team of the Season and registering 27 clean sheets.
Upon graduation, Bowden continued to climb the ranks, spending time with semi-professional clubs Legends FC (2014) and SoCal FC (2015-16) who both competed in the second tier of US women’s football, before eventually stumbling upon the opportunity to move Down Under.
Here, Bowden has continued to ride her upwards career trajectory, where she has been the standout in a heavily improved Southern United side in 2017, commanding from the back and displaying every ounce of the technical ability that saw her posting the numbers she did during high school.
Adept over free-kicks, a great reader of the play and most importantly a leader on the park, Bowden is firming as the latest import to get a closer look at W-League selection come the end of the year.
“Mikhaila has adapted seamlessly into the NPL from the minute she arrived,” said Southern co-coach Bill Mihaloudis.
“She’s a professional athlete who is always pushing herself to greater heights and her consistent performances have clearly demonstrated just how consistent she’s been in each game she’s played”.
April saw Mikhaila Bowden post two clean sheets, two goals and an assist for a team with the second best defensive record throughout the month. For an in-depth look at the nominees that missed out, click here.