Mallory Pugh was born on April 29, 1998, in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. She looked up to her sister and her parents, who were all athletes, and she started playing soccer at age four after her sister did. Later, she began playing club soccer with Real Colorado in the Elite Clubs National League. At the U-16 level, the team won state and regional titles and was a runner up at nationals. Pugh was named MVP of the season. Pugh later attended Mountain Vista High School and was named the Offensive MVP of the team. She joined Washington Spirit for the National Women’s Soccer League, playing with them for the first time on May 13, 2017. From 2015 to 2016, she played with the U-20 National Team. In 2016, she was called to join the training camp for the US Women’s National Team from January 5 to January 21. Her first international appearance was against Ireland, and she was subbed in for Alex Morgan in the 58th minute. She was the youngest player to debut on the US Women’s National Team since Heather O’Reilly’s debut in 2002 and the 19th U.S. player to score in her debut with the team, scoring her first international goal in the 83rd minute.