Just one month after becoming the youngest girls’ soccer player to turn pro, 13-year-old Olivia Moultrie made her professional debut Wednesday night.

Wearing No. 42 for the Portland Thorns, Moultrie replaced veteran Katherine Reynolds at the start of the second half during a preseason game against the U.S. U-23 Women’s National Team at the University of Portland’s Merlo Field. The Thorns lost the game 1-0.

“If we sit there and count her actions and look at her decision-making, which is what the game is about, I think you got to be very, very happy,” Thorns coach Mark Parsons said.

Moultrie, who played right wing during the match, was the youngest player on the field Wednesday by five years. She was competing on the same team as 35-year-old Thorns captain Christine Sinclair. While Moultrie didn’t have too many touches on the ball during her outing, she held her own while she was on the field.

Parsons had planned prior to the game to play Moultrie for a full 45 minutes in the second half, but Moultrie and Thorns forward Mallory Weber both came out of the game a few minutes before the final whistle due to apparent fatigue. The Thorns finished the match with just nine players. After the game, Parsons said that Moultrie’s early exit from the match was nothing to worry about and that she was completely fine.

Moultrie, who made headlines at 11 when she accepted a scholarship offer to the University of North Carolina, announced on Feb. 25 that she would be forgoing her college eligibility to sign a deal with the Wasserman Media Group, a sports agency, and a six-figure endorsement deal with Nike.

Following the announcement, Moultrie and her family moved to Portland, so that she could continue her growth in the Thorns’ developmental academy and have the opportunity to train with the Thorns’ first team. Moultrie has spent the last month training with the Thorns in preseason and is expected to continue to train with the professional club this year.

But joining a professional league wasn’t feasible for Moultrie at 13, even if a team had been ready to sign her.

FIFA rules generally prevent players from signing with foreign clubs before they turn 18, making a move to Europe all but impossible. The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) also prevents players from competing in the league until they turn 18.

But those NWSL rules don’t apply to preseason games. That’s how Moultrie ended up taking the field against professionals Wednesday night.

“I think it’s really important for any player to be in an environment where they get to be the best player on the pitch, middle of the road and the bottom end, to taste all of that throughout the week,” Parsons said. “Olivia’s case, she’s going to have a unique development path here with us, with the Thorns’ first team, with the academy, and there might be some action with the boys as well. I think giving her different things as a staff, providing her the opportunity to continue to grow is no different than how we try to continue to develop and grow all our players.”

Here's Moultrie - she loses the ball but wins it right back. (I just happened to be recording at this moment.) #BAONPDX #NWSL pic.twitter.com/P29F78MXx6 — Caitlin Murray (@caitlinmurr) March 28, 2019

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg

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