Yael Averbuch

Yael Friedman Averbuch (born November 3, 1986) is an American soccer midfielder. She currently plays for the FC Kansas City in the National Women's Soccer League and the United States women's national soccer team.

During her career as a center midfielder at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Averbuch was named national player of the year by both Soccer Buzz and Top Drawer Soccer. Averbuch was selected in the first round of the 2009 WPS Draft (4th overall) by her home state team, Sky Blue FC.

She played for Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC in the Damallsvenskan of the UEFA Women's Champions League and made a brief stint with WFC Rossiyanka. She is a two-time WPS champion with Sky Blue FC and the Western New York Flash.

Averbuch played for the United States at every level of the youth national teams, and as of 2013 played for the United States women's national soccer team.

Early life

Averbuch, who is Jewish, was born in New York City. She is the daughter of Gloria Averbuch and Paul Friedman. Her middle name is her father's last name and her last name is her mother's maiden name.

Jael

Jael or Yael (Hebrew Ya'el, יָעֵל, meaning Ibex) is a woman mentioned in the Book of Judges in the Bible, as the heroine who killed Sisera to deliver Israel from the troops of King Jabin.

Family

All that the bible says is that Jael was the wife of Heber the Kenite. The Kenites were a clan or small people, originally nomadic, who were not Israelites, but some of whom lived in close proximity with the Israelites. The bible records a number of cases of intermarriage; the (or a) father-in-law of Moses was apparently a Kenite, but it is not clear if this was Jethro. The Kenites may have been a part of the Midianite grouping.

Jael in the book of Judges

God told Deborah (a prophetess and leader) that she would deliver Israel from Jabin. Deborah called Barak to make up an army to lead into battle against Jabin on the plain of Esdraelon. But Barak demanded that Deborah would accompany him into the battle. Deborah agreed but prophesied that the honour of the killing of the other army's captain would be given to a woman. Jabin's army was led by Sisera (Judg. 4:2), who fled the battle after all was lost.

Yael (name)

Yael (Hebrew: יעל‎, pronounced [jaˈʔel]; also spelled Yaël, Jael or Jaël) is a female given name, from the Hebrew word for the Nubian ibex.

People with this name

Given name