Where the USWNT Olympic Players Played College Soccer
The USWNT won gold at the Paris Olympics. The roster consists of 18 players and four alternates. We examine where each of these USWNT Olympic players played college soccer.
Four players on the Olympic roster never played collegiately: Lindsey Horan, Jaedyn Shaw, Mallory Swanson, and Trinity Rodman. Swanson was committed to UCLA but only ever appeared in scrimmages for the Bruins before turning to professional soccer. Rodman joined Washington State in 2020, but before ever representing the Cougars, she ultimately decided to forgo her college eligibility after COVID-19 canceled her first college season and signed a professional contract.
Goalkeepers
Alyssa Naeher – Penn State
Naeher played for Penn State from 2006-2009. While representing the Nittany Lionsshe started all 74 games she appeared in. Through four seasons, she recorded 24 shutouts and 301 saves while leading Penn State to a 50-19-5 record.
Casey Murphy – Rutgers
Murphy stayed in her home state and attended Rutgers from 2014-17. While at Rutgers, she appeared in 67 games and was Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year twice. During her three years at Rutgers, she earned 45 clean sheets, the most by a Rutgers goalkeeper all-time.
Defenders
Tierna Davidson – Stanford
Davidson was a key piece of the Stanford backline from 2016-18. She appeared in 49 games for the Cardinals through three seasons. She also helped to lead Stanford to the 2017 National Championship. While at Stanford, Davidson was named the 2017 Pac-12 Defender of the Year, 2018 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year, and 2017 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist.
Emily Fox – North Carolina
Fox was a key player on the UNC team from 2017-21, starting 69 games for the Tar Heels in her career. She ended her career with 20 assists, 11 of which came during the 2019 season. Fox helped lead UNC to the National Championship game in 2018 and 2019.
Naomi Girma – Stanford
Girma had a decorated career at Stanford from 2018-22. She appeared in 91 games for the Cardinals and registered 10 goals and nine assists. Girma was the Pac-12 Defender of the Year in 2019 and 2021. She helped lead the Cardinals to back-to-back Pac-12 Championships (2018,19) and a National Championship in 2019.
Casey Krueger – Florida State
Casey Krueger appeared in 81 games for the Seminoles, tallying 18 assists and seven goals during her four years. In 2012, she helped lead Florida State to the College Cup.
Jenna Nighswonger – Florida State
From 2019-23, Nighswonger appeared in 80 games for Florida State. She ended her career with 34 assists and 18 goals, ranking second all-time for the Seminoles. She had nine assists during the 2022 season, the most in a single season at Florida State. Nighswonger was a MAC Hermann Award Finalist in 2022 and helped the Seminoles win the National Championship in 2021.
Emily Sonnett – Virginia
Sonnett spent her college career at Virginia, where she helped lead UVA to an ACC Championship in 2012 and the College Cup in 2013 and 2014. She appeared in 98 games for the Hoos. In 2015, she was named a MAC Hermann Trophy Finalist and ESPNW National Player of the Year.
Midfielders
Korbin Albert – Notre Dame
Albert spent only two seasons with the Fighting Irish before deciding to transition to professional soccer. During those two seasons, she appeared in 44 games and scored 28 goals while tallying nine assists. In 2022, she was a MAC Hermann Trophy Finalist and ACC Midfielder of the Year.
Sam Coffey – Boston College/Penn State
Coffey played her first two years of college soccer at Boston College, where she started all 40 games she appeared in. She ended her first two seasons with 17 goals and 24 assists. She then transferred to Penn State, where she appeared in 61 games for the Nittany Lions and tallied 25 goals and 30 assists.
Rose Lavelle – Wisconsin
Lavelle went to Wisconsin from 2013-16 and appeared in 62 games for the Badgers. She ended her college career with 19 goals and 14 assists. She was Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2013 and then won Big Ten Midfielder of the Year twice in 2015 and 16.
Forwards
Crystal Dunn – UNC
Dunn had an impressive career for the Tar Heels from 2010-13. She appeared in 80 games for North Carolina and scored 31 career goals. She helped lead them to a National Championship win in 2012. She also won several individual awards, including the MAC Hermann Trophy, the ACC Offensive and Defensive Player Year, and the Honda Sports Award.
Sophia Smith – Stanford
Smith only spent two seasons at Stanford, but during that time, she appeared in 34 games, scoring 24 goals and tallying 11 assists.She helped Stanford win the Pac-12 Championship twice and the National Championship in 2019.
Lynn Williams – Pepperdine
Williams played at Pepperdine from 2011-14. She appeared in 78 games, starting all but one, scoring 39 goals and registering 24 assists. Her 39 goals rank second-best in school history, while her 24 assists are tied for the record at Pepperdine.
Alternates
Jane Campbell – Stanford
Campbell spent 2013-17 in goal for Stanford. She appeared in 84 games, playing a total of 7,441 minutes and 210 goals. She’s tied for the most shutouts in Stanford history with 35.
Hal Hershfelt – Clemson
Hershfelt played at Clemson from 2019-24. She appeared in 99 games for the Tigers and started all but two of those. She ended her college career with 16 goals and 12 assists.
Emily Sams – Florida State
Sams played 62 games for the Seminoles over three seasons at Florida State. She helped lead the Seminoles to two National Championship titles in 2018 and 2021 and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.
Croix Bethune – USC/Georgia
Bethune spent her first three seasons at USC, where she made 48 appearances, scored 26 goals, and registered 23 assists. In 2021, she was named the Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year. She then transferred to Georgia for the 2023 season, where she appeared in 15 games and tallied four goals and five assists.
Featured image via @uswnt on Instagram
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