Katherine Hailey "Hal" Hershfelt (born October 3, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Clemson Tigers and was selected fifth overall by the Spirit in the 2024 NWSL Draft.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Katherine Hailey Hershfelt[1] | ||
Date of birth | [2] | October 3, 2001||
Place of birth | San Diego, California, U.S. | ||
Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Washington Spirit | ||
Number | 17 | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2019–2023 | Clemson Tigers | 99 | (16) |
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2022 | Greenville Liberty | 7 | (1) |
2023 | Indy Eleven | 8 | (1) |
2024– | Washington Spirit | 19 | (2) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 7, 2024 |
Early life
editHershfelt was born in San Diego, California, in a military family, and has a younger brother.[3] Her family moved often, living in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Mississippi.[3] During high school, she moved from Florida to Georgia to play club soccer for Concorde Fire Soccer Club of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) and attended Lassiter High School in Marietta, Georgia.[3][4] Around that time, she recovered from tearing her ACL and meniscus, which limited her college prospects.[3] She committed to play for Clemson University in early 2017.[5]
College career
editHershfelt played five seasons as a defensive midfielder for the Clemson Tigers from 2019 to 2023, earning third-team All-ACC honors as a sophomore, second-team All-ACC as a junior and senior, and first-team All-ACC as a graduate student.[3][6] In her last year at Clemson, she led the Tigers to the semifinals of the 2023 NCAA tournament and was named to the all-tournament team.[7]
Club career
editUSL W League, 2022–2023
editDuring the summer of 2022, Hershfelt joined the amateur club Greenville Liberty in inaugural USL W League season.[8][9] The Liberty placed first in the South Atlantic Division and qualified for the 2022 USL W League national semifinals.
The following summer, Hershfelt joined Indy Eleven's USL W League team for the 2023 USL W League season.[10] Indy would go on to win the league championship.[11]
Washington Spirit, 2024–
editThe Washington Spirit selected Hershfelt with the 5th overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft; the Spirit traded Ashley Sanchez to the North Carolina Courage for the pick and US$250,000 in allocation money on draft night.[12] She signed a three-year contract with the Spirit in March 2024.[13] She made her debut as a starter in the season opener against Seattle Reign FC on March 17.[14] The next week, she scored her first professional goal to equalize in a 2–1 home win over Bay FC on March 23.[15] She equalized again in a 3–1 comeback win away at the Houston Dash on April 12.[16]
International career
editHershfelt was called into training camp with the United States national team in June 2024, her first national team call-up at any level.[17] Later that month she was named as an alternate to the national team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in France.[18]
Career statistics
edit- As of September 7, 2024
Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Playoffs[b] | Total | Ref. | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
Greenville Liberty | 2022 | USL W League | 7 | 1 | — | — | 7 | 1 | [19] | |||
Indy Eleven | 2023 | 8 | 1 | — | — | 8 | 1 | [11] | ||||
Washington Spirit | 2024 | NWSL | 19 | 2 | — | — | 19 | 2 | ||||
Career total | 34 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 4 |
- ^ Includes the NWSL Challenge Cup
- ^ Includes NWSL Playoffs
References
edit- ^ "Candidates for the Bachelor's Degree: College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences – Bachelor of Science: Psychology". Commencement: Friday, August 12, 2022. Clemson, South Carolina: Clemson University. August 12, 2022. p. 18. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ "Hal Hershfelt". United States Soccer Federation. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Floyd, Thomas (April 26, 2024). "Hal Hershfelt, used to a life in motion, finds a foothold with the Spirit". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Lassiter Alum Hal Hershfelt Taken Fifth Overall in NWSL Draft". Marietta Daily Journal. January 15, 2024. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024.
- ^ Clark, Travis (January 30, 2017). "Recruiting Roundup: January 30–February 5". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "Hal Hershfelt". Clemson Tigers. July 18, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ "Four Tigers Selected in 2024 NWSL Draft". Clemson Tigers. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ "W League Team Pens Second Clemson Player". Greenville Triumph SC. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ "15 players to watch during the inaugural USL W League season". USL W League. May 5, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "Indy Eleven Announces Initial Roster for 2023 USL W League Season". Indy Eleven. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ a b "Hal Hershfelt". Indy Eleven. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
- ^ Brockway, Ella (January 12, 2024). "Spirit gets busy, deals Ashley Sanchez, Sam Staab and loads up in draft". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ "Washington Spirit Officially Signs 2024 Rookie Class to Professional Contracts". Washington Spirit. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ "Recap: Spirit falls in 2024 season opener – all 2024 Draft signees see the field". Washington Spirit. March 17, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ Spala, Natalie (March 23, 2024). "Rookies lead Washington Spirit to action-packed home opener win, 2–1 over Bay FC". WJLA-TV. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ Schreiber, Julie (April 15, 2024). "Spirit see offseason moves pay off in comeback win over Dash". The Equalizer. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Jason (May 22, 2024). "Bethune, Hershfelt talk USWNT call-ups amid standout NWSL rookie seasons". Pro Soccer Wire. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
- ^ Carter, Derrian (June 26, 2024). "Hal Hershfelt, former Clemson women's soccer player, named an alternate to U.S. Olympic team". The Greenville News. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ "Greenville Liberty SC – 2022 Regular Season – Roster – #15 – Katherine Hershfelt". USL W League. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023.
External links
edit- Hal Hershfelt at Soccerway
- Hal Hershfelt at the Washington Spirit
- Hal Hershfelt at the National Women's Soccer League