Boston Breakers defender Mollie Pathman retires

Longtime Boston Breakers defender Mollie Pathman has announced she will retire. Pathman’s last game will be Sunday, July 17 against Sky Blue FC.

Pathman is now pursing a career in the medical field, like many other women’s soccer players who managed a few years at the pro level earning middling salaries before moving on to a more permanent career.

According to a team spokesperson, the Breakers new from the beginning of June that Pathman would be leaving. Pathman applied to a program and received a scholarship, but was required to leave in July or else she would lose the scholarship.

Pathman was first drafted by the Breakers as the #23 overall pick in the 2014 NWSL College Draft. She immediately became a starting fullback for the team and has been a mainstay in the position ever since, first under head coach Tom Durkin and this season under Matt Beard.

Beard has also experimented with moving Pathman up into the midfield, something that paid dividends against the Orlando Pride just last weekend in helping Pathman bag her first professional goal.

Pathman has 53 caps for the Breakers over the past two and a half seasons, and in 2015 she played every minute of every match.

Beard has a couple of options to consider to replace Pathman at left back, including the starter he fielded there against Orlando, Brooke Elby. But Pathman has certainly provided a long line of continuity for the Breakers, and it’s always a little disconcerting when a longtime starter exists the field.