Poletti 
Beattie Goad with the Victory Vikings following her final home game before her retirement. Photo: Alyce Collett, supplied by Victory Vikings.
Rarely will a player ever get to retire at the peak of their prowess with so much more still to give. Even rarer still, is when a player chooses to walk away, mostly of their own volition rather than being forced away too early through injury.
Beattie Goad is one of the rare ones who got to mostly make the choice, opting to focus on her burgeoning medical career and degree as she prepares not only for life outside of football, but to do even greater things off-field than what she accomplished on it.
Juggling work, study, and a football career has not come easy for Goad, but despite how cheesy it sounds as she put it, she would not have been able to do it without the accommodating players and coaches around her and could not thank them enough.
“It’s a very emotional departure and one that’s a little bit out of my hands. Sometimes you can’t do everything and be in a million places at once, but I’m really grateful that we were able to take it this far,” Goad said.
“When I tell people that I’m halfway through med school and already playing they say ‘how?’ and I say my players and my coaches and truly I can’t thank them enough.
“That’s the only reason why I can keep playing is people that understand the women’s game is still growing and we still have to pursue other careers sometimes and from the bottom of my heart a big big thank you to the players and the coaches and the fans for understanding.”
After starting her career at Melbourne Victory before going across to rivals Melbourne City, she was accepted into Stanford University, one of the most prestigious universities in the world, winning the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and 2019, before graduating in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science.
“I had some big names tell me if you go to America we’ll never watch you and we’ll never see you again,” Goad said.
“I just had to hold my ground and say I’m going to go get my degree in one of the best places in the world.
“So I think it’s more just a message to hold true to what you believe in and hold true to what you want to do and somehow you’ll make your way to where you want to, regardless of what people say is the right path.
“For me, it was an amazing pathway. I played with eight or nine players who now play in the US National Team, who I played with for four years.
“I was probably at my best back then and nobody saw it, but that’s ok. It was the best path for me and hopefully it’s inspired other people to stick to their guns, not even in soccer, just in whatever they want to do in life.
“Believe in yourself, have people around you that [help you] believe in yourself, and block out anything that goes against that.”
Following her graduation, she made the move to Germany to Fraun-Bundesliga side SV Meppen, and then to Spain to Liga F side UDG Tenerife, earning the first of her three Matildas caps during her time in Europe.
Returning to Australia in 2022, her career came full circle as she returned to Melbourne Victory, the club where her professional career started, and where it all finished, following a 1-0 win against Sydney FC.
Goad described being able to come full circle as a bit surreal, but that she would not want to end her career with any club other than the Victory, a club who believed in her when she was 15, and that it was special to do so.
Primarily a midfielder, Goad spent the majority of her final games at left back, highlighting not only her versatility, but her vast football knowledge, never once looking out of place despite being well out of position.
Her absence leaves a huge hole both on and off the field for Victory to fill, and one that with a long season still to play, Jeff Hopkins needs to fill fast.
“Beattie’s a pretty unique player, so I don’t think we’ll ever replace her, but obviously we need to put someone in there and bring someone in with their own qualities,” Hopkins said.
“[It’s] not so much trying to replace Beattie, but bring someone in that’s going to be there, play their own game, and play a role for the team.
“I’ve always said Beattie is a real unique player in what she’s done over the last few years as well as holding down a job and her studies. [It’s] just amazing. We’re all in awe of her and what she does and everyone wishes her all the best.”
Sydney FC coach Ante Juric, who coached Goad when he was coach of the U-17’s and U-19’s (now U-20’s) Matildas squads, was full of praise for her following her final game.
“She’s an unbelievable woman, a great player, [and] very smart,” Juric said.
“It’s a shame because she’s such a good player and probably a Matilda-level kind of player, so it’s a shame, but I’m sure she made the decision knowing her future is going to be bright.”