Inductees

She started playing soccer at age 5 and, in the 1990s, her family transported her across the Mississippi River bridge into Missouri to play for a club team full of 12-year-olds, who were two years older.

Lindsay Kennedy Eversmeyer not only hung in there, but fell in love with the sport. And she never forgot those who fostered that passion inside.

In fact, when asked how she transformed herself into a college prospect, Eversmeyer said, “I don’t think I transformed myself. I think my coaches and teammates transformed me. I was blessed with coaches that taught me how to play the game and with teammates that helped elevate my competitiveness.”

Eversmeyer became one of the state’s best in the sport, and that’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted her with the Class of 2023.

Put it this way, Eversmeyer played professionally for the St. Louis Steamers in Major League Indoor Soccer, becoming the first female in history to play men’s professional indoor soccer.

A 1998 graduate of Alton High School, she was a four-year varsity letter-winner and earned First Team All-State honors – along with All-Metro, all-conference, all-area and all-sectional – in four years. The Telegraph and Post-Dispatch named her the Player of the Year her junior season, when she set the school record for single-season goals (47).

After a season at the University of Kansas, she spent three at Harris-Stowe State University through 2004. At KU, she recorded 19 points, was the Big 12 Player of the Week once and was named to two all-tournament teams. At Harris-Stowe, she set six school records in career goals (61), goals/season (24), assists/season (22), points (144), goals in a game (5) and average goals per game (1.06). She earned numerous postseason accolades, including NAIA All-American honors three times. In 2000, she became the first Harris-Stowe player to earn the American Midwest Conference Player of the Year award.

From 2012-2022 she owned/coached a women’s semi-pro team called Fire & Ice Soccer. In 2017, her team won the WPSL national championship. And now she is the first and only female head coach of a men’s college soccer team in the NJCAA, Southwestern Illinois College.

“I’ve loved it since the moment I started playing,” Eversmeyer said.

A striker, Eversmeyer was a four-year starter in high school and then drew interest from North Carolina, Missouri, Clemson, Oklahoma State, Illinois State and Harris-Stowe.

Wanting to be close to home, she chose Kansas and, after feeling homesick, turned to Harris-Stowe, where coach Richard “Rock” Rone had recruited her while in high school.

“He cared about me as more than just a player,” Eversmeyer said. “So when I finally decided I was leaving, it wasn’t about transferring to a big school or program. I just wanted to go somewhere to play soccer, be close to my family, get my degree, and move on to my life.”

At age 24, coaching came calling. At the time, Eversmeyer led an 18-and-younger and a 10-and-younger team at BFC Futbol Club.

And then came the Steamers.

“It was bittersweet,” Eversmeyer said. “I reached a dream of playing professionally and was able to inspire the next generation of female players, but it was mentally and physically tough on me.”

Still, she hung in there and showed her mettle. That all came from the support over the years of her family – dad Larry, mom Pam, stepfather Bill, husband Aaron and their children Kaleb and Gryfin.

In 2005, she started a WPSL team called River Cities FC, which reached the league finals. A year later, she stepped back into a player-administration role and handed the team over to a new owner. But the team folded in 2007 upon the arrival of STL Athletica.

Five years later, the WPSL’s owner, Jerry Zanelli, asked her to start another team, to coach and own it. With the help of sponsors, Fire & Ice was created and lasted until 2022, having gone 70-23-9 with three conference titles, two Central Region championships and one WPSL national title in 2017. Eversmeyer also earned Coach of the Year three times.

Overall, it’s been a cool thing to be part of St. Louis soccer history. She is now a field analyst for St. Louis City SC of Major League Soccer.

“It really is a dream come true,” Eversmeyer said. “Ever since I was little, I wanted St. Louis to have a professional team, and now that it is here and successful, I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”