{{short description|Australian soccer player (born 2004)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}} {{Use Australian English|date=December 2024}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Jessika Nash | image = Jessika_Nash_playing_December_2023.jpg | image_size = | caption = Nash playing for Melbourne Victory in December 2023 | fullname = Jessika Jayne Nash<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fdp.fifa.org/assetspublic/ce42/pdf/SquadLists-English.pdf |title=Squad List, FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Costa Rica 2022: Australia (AUS) |work=FIFA |page=1 |date=3 August 2022 |access-date=3 August 2022}}</ref> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|2004|10|5}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jessika Nash – Soccerway |url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/jessika-jayne-nash/631039/|publisher=Soccerway |date=12 January 2020 |accessdate=12 January 2020}}</ref> | birth_place = Australia | height = | position = Defender | currentclub = Sassuolo | clubnumber = | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = FNSW Institute | years1 = 2020–2021 | clubs1 = Canberra United | caps1 = 13 | goals1 = 0 | years2 = 2021–2022 | clubs2 = Sydney FC | caps2 = 11 | goals2 = 0 | years3 = 2022 | clubs3 = Blacktown Spartans | caps3 = 8 | goals3 = 0 | years4 = 2022–2024 | clubs4 = Melbourne Victory | caps4 = 34 | goals4 = 0 | years5 = 2024–2025 | clubs5 = Central Coast Mariners | caps5 = 27 | goals5 = 1 | years6 = 2025– | clubs6 = Sassuolo | caps6 = 16 | goals6 = 0 | nationalyears1 = 2018–2021 | nationalteam1 = Australia U17 | nationalcaps1 = 11 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | nationalyears2 = 2022– | nationalteam2 = Australia U20 | nationalcaps2 = 20 | nationalgoals2 = 1 | nationalyears3 = 2022– | nationalteam3 = Australia U23 | nationalcaps3 = 1 | nationalgoals3 = 0 | nationalyears4 = 2021– | nationalteam4 = Australia | nationalcaps4 = 4 | nationalgoals4 = 0 | club-update = 1 May 2026 | nationalteam-update= 10 July 2025 }}
'''Jessika Jayne Nash''' (born 5 October 2004) is an Australian soccer player who plays for Serie A Femminile club US Sassuolo and the Australia national team. She has previously played for Canberra United, Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory, and Central Coast Mariners in the A-League Women.
==Early life== Nash grew up in New South Wales and played for FNSW Institute. Nash started playing football at the age of four. Nash's family was supportive of her career choice from a young age. Three generations of her family travelled to watch her play at the 2019 AFC U-16 Women's Championship.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Football a family affair for Australia's Nash|url=https://www.the-afc.com/competitions/afc-u-16-womens-championship/latest/news/football-a-family-affair-for-australia-s-nash|date=2019-09-20|website=the-afc.com|language=en|access-date=2021-01-13}}</ref> Nash's father, Don, was a cricketer for NSW Blues.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Junior Sport Star Jessika Nash a natural champion|url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/sport/junior-sport-star-jessika-nash-a-natural-champion/news-story/3002a74252d3ce67a93c8dc1b77bcb5c|date=2015-09-25|work=The Daily Telegraph|language=en|access-date=2021-01-13|last=Houghton|first=Nick}}</ref>
Nash attended Hills Sports High School, completing her studies in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nash |first1=Jessika |title=Graduation, class of 22 🥰 |url=https://www.instagram.com/jessika.nashh/p/Ci2Horxp_KR/?img_index=1 |website=Instagram |access-date=17 December 2023}}</ref>
==Club career== ===Canberra United=== On 20 October 2020, Nash signed for Canberra United for the 2020–21 W-League season, together with Clare Hunt.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.canberraunited.com.au/news/hunt-and-nash-sign-canberra-united|title=Hunt and Nash sign with Canberra United|publisher=Canberra United|date=20 October 2020}}</ref> On 30 December 2020, Nash made her W-League debut against Adelaide United in a 4–3 victory for Canberra. Nash started the match playing the full 90 minutes, with Adelaide taking a 2–0 lead during the match, only for Canberra United to strike back courtesy of a Michelle Heyman hat trick and a Laura Hughes stoppage time winner.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Heyman's hat-trick heroics as Canberra edge Adelaide in seven-goal thriller|url=https://www.w-league.com.au/news/canberra-united-v-adelaide-united-match-report-goals-video-highlight-updates-live|date=30 December 2020|website=W-League|language=en-US|access-date=30 December 2020|archive-date=14 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210314013009/https://www.w-league.com.au/news/canberra-united-v-adelaide-united-match-report-goals-video-highlight-updates-live|url-status=dead}}</ref> Heyman praised Nash for her performance.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Michelle Heyman praises Canberra United debutant Jessika Nash|url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7072494/heyman-backs-debutant-as-future-star/|date=2 January 2021|work=The Canberra Times|language=en|access-date=13 January 2021|last1=Bertoldo|first1=Lucie|last2=Helmers|first2=Caden}}</ref> After helping Canberra United qualify for the finals series with an unbeaten streak in March, Nash was nominated for the Young Footballer of the Year Award.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.w-league.com.au/news/jessika-nash-named-march-nominee-young-footballer-year|title=Jessika Nash named March Nominee for the Young Footballer of the Year|first=Matthew|last=Comito|work=W-League|date=16 April 2021|access-date=28 April 2021|archive-date=9 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509083343/https://www.w-league.com.au/news/jessika-nash-named-march-nominee-young-footballer-year|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Sydney FC=== In September 2021, Nash joined Sydney FC ahead of the 2021–22 A-League Women season, together with Sarah Hunter, looking to progress her career.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sydneyfc.com/news/sydney-fc-sign-young-duo|title=Sydney FC Sign Young Duo|website=Sydney FC|date=3 September 2021}}</ref>
===Melbourne Victory=== In September 2022, Nash joined Melbourne Victory ahead of the 2022–23 A-League Women season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://melbournevictory.com.au/news/melbourne-victory-signs-jessika-nash|title=Melbourne Victory signs Jessika Nash|website=Melbourne Victory|date=5 September 2022}}</ref> In August 2024, it was announced Nash wouldn't return to the club for the 2024–25 A-League Women season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://melbournevictory.com.au/news/melbourne-victory-announces-returning-a-league-womens-players/|title=Melbourne Victory announces returning A-League Women's players|website=Melbourne Victory|date=26 August 2024|quote=The Club can also confirm that Jess Nash, Kurea Okino, Tori Hansen, Jamilla Rankin and Miranda Templeman will not return to the Club for the 2024/25 season.}}</ref>
===Central Coast Mariners=== Following her departure from Melbourne Victory, Nash joined Central Coast Mariners.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ccmariners.com.au/news/central-coast-mariners-sign-young-matildas-captain-jessika-nash/|title=Central Coast Mariners sign Young Matildas captain Jessika Nash|website=Central Coast Mariners|date=25 September 2024}}</ref>
===Sassuolo=== Following a season at Central Coast Mariners, in which she helped them win the championship, Nash joined Italian Serie A Femminile club Sassuolo.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.matildas.com.au/news/jessika-nash-signs-us-sassuolo-calcio-serie-a-femminile|title=Jessika Nash signs for U.S. Sassuolo Calcio in the Serie A Femminile|first=Julia|last=Woods|website=Matildas|publisher=Football Australia|date=31 July 2025}}</ref>
==International career== Although the youngest member of the squad, Nash was selected as captain of the Junior Matildas, resulting in Nash being a pivotal part of the team during both 2019 AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualification and final tournament. Nash made her Junior Matildas debut on 17 September 2018, playing 90 minutes in an 11–0 victory against Palestine. She featured during six matches of qualification and she started all five games in the final tournament, playing 424 minutes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://beyond90.com.au/rae-dower-selects-junior-matildas-squad-for-qualifiers/|date=2019-09-11|title=Rae Dower selects Junior Matildas squad for qualifiers|website=Beyond 90|language=en|access-date=2019-09-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.matildas.com.au/news/westfield-junior-matildas-squad-named-afc-u-16-womens-championship|title=AFC U-16 Women's Championship - Junior Matildas Squad|date=2019-09-04|website=Matildas.com.au |access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref> Nash made her senior Matildas debut in November 2021 in a friendly match against United States held in Sydney, which resulted in a 0–3 loss for her team.<ref name="Matildas Nov21">{{Cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127141519/https://www.matildas.com.au/match/australia-women-v-usa-women-friendlies-w-27-11-2021/2258521#!/lineups |url=https://www.matildas.com.au/match/australia-women-v-usa-women-friendlies-w-27-11-2021/2258521 |archive-date=27 November 2021 |title=Australia Women v USA Women |publisher=Matildas Match Centre |date=27 November 2021 |access-date=21 June 2025 }}</ref><ref name="Soccerway profile">{{Cite web |url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/jessika-nash/631039/ |title=Summary - Jessika Nash - Results, fixtures, squad, statistics, photos, videos |website=Soccerway |access-date=21 June 2025 }}</ref> In December 2024 she was a substitute in two home friendlies against Chinese Taipei, which Matildas won 3–1 and 6–0.<ref name="Lynch">{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/dec/07/australia-matildas-vs-taiwan-womens-match-report-geelong-clare-polkinghorne-in-style |title=Matildas outclass Taiwan in thumping win to send off Clare Polkinghorne in style {{!}} Matildas |website=The Guardian |author=Lynch, Joey |date=7 December 2024 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20241208052140/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/dec/07/australia-matildas-vs-taiwan-womens-match-report-geelong-clare-polkinghorne-in-style |archive-date=8 December 2024 |access-date=21 June 2025 }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{sports links}}
{{US Sassuolo Calcio (women) squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nash, Jessika}} Category:2004 births Category:Australian women's soccer players Category:21st-century Australian sportswomen Category:Living people Category:Canberra United FC players Category:Sydney FC (women) players Category:Melbourne Victory FC (women) players Category:Central Coast Mariners FC (women) players Category:US Sassuolo Calcio (women) players Category:Sportswomen from New South Wales Category:Soccer players from New South Wales Category:Australia women's international soccer players Category:Women's association football defenders Category:A-League Women championship–winning players Category:Australian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Category:Australian expatriate women's soccer players Category:Expatriate women's footballers in Italy