Waniya Hudson
Personal information
Date of birth (2001-06-02) June 2, 2001 (age 23)[1]
Place of birth Rochester, New York, United States[1]
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
Dallas Trinity
(on loan from the Washington Spirit)
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2023 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 96 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024– Washington Spirit 0 (0)
2024–Dallas Trinity (loan) 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Waniya Hudson (born June 2, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Dallas Trinity FC of the USL Super League, on loan from National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club Washington Spirit. She played college soccer for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Early life and college career

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Hudson grew up in the Rochester suburb of Greece, New York. Her father, Woodruff, played college basketball at RIT, and her mother, Wanda, ran track at Nazareth. Her brother, Woody, played ice hockey at St. Lawrence, and her sister, Winsom, played soccer at Buffalo State.[3][4]

Hudson began playing soccer at age seven or eight, taking after her older sister.[1][5] She captained her high school team at Greece Athena, twice being named all-state, and also lettered in track.[3][6] She played club soccer for the Super 9 boys' team, where she wore the 20 jersey (like Abby Wambach, a Rochester native who also played on a boys' team).[3][5] She participated in ODP as captain of her state team and member of her regional team.[3] She committed to the University of Notre Dame as a junior in 2017.[6]

Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 2019–2023

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Hudson made 96 appearances for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 2019 to 2023, starting every game from her sophomore year. She and teammates Eva Gaetino and Leah Klenke formed an Irish defense that was statistically among the best in the country in 2022. They kept clean sheets through the first three rounds of the NCAA tournament that year before falling in the quarterfinals. She played a team high in minutes in her senior and graduate seasons.[3]

Club career

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Hudson trained with NWSL club NJ/NY Gotham FC in the 2024 preseason before signing a one-year contract with the Washington Spirit on May 22.[7] On September 23, she was loaned to USL Super League club Dallas Trinity FC for the rest of the year.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Waniya Hudson". Rochester Lancers. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  2. ^ "Waniya Hudson". Washington Spirit. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Waniya Hudson". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  4. ^ "No Hudson derby or rivalry here: Sisters work for each other on the Lady Lancers". Rochester Lancers. June 18, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Getting to Know Defender Waniya Hudson". Washington Spirit. August 21, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Johnson, Stevie (September 13, 2018). "Athena soccer stars Waniya Hudson, CJ Takatch remain hungry after college commitments". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  7. ^ "Washington Spirit Signs Defender Waniya Hudson". Washington Spirit. May 22, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  8. ^ "Washington Spirit Loans Defender Waniya Hudson to Dallas Trinity FC". Washington Spirit. September 23, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
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