Soccer Star Julie Johnston Marries NFL Player Zach Ertz: 'What an Amazing Day'
U.S. women’s soccer star Julie Johnston is going to need some new jerseys.
Johnston and NFL player Zach Ertz tied the knot on Sunday at the Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara, California. “What an amazing day celebrating our love,” the bride, who now goes by Julie Ertz, captioned a wedding photo of her husband dipping her on the dance floor while six smiling bridesmaids and guests look on.
Ertz -a tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles - also shared some of the big day with his fans.
“So Blessed to be able to marry my best friend!!” he wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
It was a whirlwind year for the women’s national soccer player. She took PEOPLE along while shopping for wedding dresses in Chicago, where she lives while playing for the Chicago Red Stars, before heading to Brazil to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Though the U.S. women’s soccer team lost to Sweden in the quarterfinals, she has has said it was a dream of hers just to be able to compete at the highest level.
Johnston Ertz, who’s been playing soccer since she was 4 years old, met her future husband in 2012 through mutual friends while Ertz was a player on Stanford University’s football team and she was on the soccer team at nearby Santa Clara.
After dating long-distance following his move to Philadelphia, Ertz popped the question in February 2016. With the newlyweds now on their honeymoon in Hawaii, she will be missing the two upcoming matches when the U.S. Women’s National Team takes on Russia April 6 and April 9.
