Welsh freshman forward Ania Denham has begun her career at Middle Tennessee with an absolute bang.
Denham comes to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, with an impressive history in the Union of European Football Associations, having been a member of multiple Welsh national teams.
When paired with her club experience in the English Football pyramid with the Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sporting Khalsa, the undeniable key role that Denham has played in the Blue Raiders’ dominance this season starts to make a lot of sense.
MTSU has recorded its best start to a season in program history, while the international star has been able to display a performance that has led Middle Tennessee to a year on its way to being nothing short of historical.
Denham’s contribution to the team’s start has arguably been just as, if not more impressive than the commanding season, the Blue Raiders have put together.
Denham currently leads her team in points and goals while sitting second in shots and shots on goal behind senior Hannah Murphy. Denham also leads the Blue Raiders in game winners, a stat in which she is simultaneously leading the nation, sitting at five game-winning goals this year.
Denham’s ability to put games away is no surprise when you factor in her career prior to MTSU. The international forward spent time with the Wales U16, U17 and U19 national teams, as well as being called up to the Welsh senior team on multiple occasions.
She signed with the Wolverhampton Wanderers at 16 before spending two seasons on loan with Sporting Khalsa. Her time on both teams led Denham to record three career goals in the Women’s FA Cup, which raises the question of why Ania Denham decided to leave the English football pyramid and come to Middle Tennessee in the first place.
“I think I just wanted a different challenge,” Denham said. “Like I wanted to play outside of England, and I thought what better way to do it than here in the USA.”
And rise to the challenge she has, cementing herself as Middle Tennessee’s up-and-coming premier striker. Denham’s value was especially able to shine through during the Blue Raiders’ first loss of the season against Purdue (6-1-1) in which the Boilermakers marked Denham by two players for almost every minute she played.
Purdue almost completely took away the Blue Raiders’ ability to play through Denham, leading to one of her worst statistical games and ending in the team’s 3-0 loss. Even with the tough loss at home, the Blue Raiders have not been shy about playing through Denham or letting her use her talent to create her own goals, as she has shown herself to do so well.
“I think as a team, we’re really good in the final third with creating opportunities for ourselves and for others as well,” Denham said. “Most times as a striker, I’m at the end of them, but credit to the other girls like the wingers and midfielders; they’re helping as well to put the ball through for me.”
At only 19 years old, this striker has shown herself to be a crucial piece to this team’s puzzle as they search for their first conference title since the move to Conference USA. With conference play only three games away, it’s safe to expect Denham to be in the center of any future success for the Blue Raiders.
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