Julia Nicole Leas (March 3, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defensive midfielder for Swedish Damallsvenskan club Vittsjö GIK. She played college soccer for the Georgetown Hoyas, where she was a two-time first-team All-American.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | March 3, 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Julia Nicole Leas | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder, center back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Vittsjö | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2023 | Georgetown Hoyas | 100 | (16) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024– | Vittsjö | 24 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 9, 2024 | |||
Early life and college career
editLeas was raised in Vienna, Virginia, and attended James Madison High School, where she scored 71 goals in four seasons.[1][2] She helped lead her high school team to state semifinal and runner-up finishes in 2017 and 2018. She captained the team for two years and was named the Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior in 2019. She played club soccer for Mclean Soccer, where she made the ECNL national finals and was named ECNL All-American in 2019.[1][3]
Georgetown Hoyas
editLeas was a five-year starter for the Georgetown Hoyas, where she recorded 16 goals and 16 assists in 100 appearances as a defensive midfielder or center back.[1][4] She led Georgetown to four straight Big East Conference championships in each of her last four years. She was named to the Big East all-freshman team in 2019, all-conference third team in 2020, all-conference second team in 2021, and all-conference first team and United Soccer Coaches All-American first team in 2022 and 2023. She was additionally named the Big East midfielder of the year in 2021 and Big East defensive player of the year in 2022 and 2023.[1]
Club career
editVittsjö
editAfter withdrawing her name from the 2024 NWSL Draft, Leas signed a one-year deal with Swedish club Vittsjö GIK on January 24, 2024.[5][6] On March 9, she scored on her club debut, a 5–0 win over IFK Göteborg in the Swedish Cup group stage.[7] She made her first league start against BK Häcken on June 17, after which she held a starting position throughout the rest of the year.[8] She scored her first Damallsvenskan goal in a 3–2 comeback win over AIK on August 24.[8] She finished the season with 2 goals in 24 league games (14 starts) as Vittsjö placed 8th of 14 teams.[7][9]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Julia Leas". Georgetown Hoyas. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ Palacios, Anthony (February 16, 2024). "Vienna native notches spot on Sweden's soccer team". Fairfax Times. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ "Madison High graduate will play professional soccer in Sweden". GazetteLeader.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Forrest, Derek (September 28, 2023). "Georgetown's Leas starts in record 90th consecutive soccer match". DCNewsNow.com. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NWSL Draft, Presented by Ally: Live Registration Tracker". National Women's Soccer League. January 8, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ "Dubbla nyförvärv: Mittback från konkurrent – och amerikansk collegestjärna". Kristianstadsbladet (in Swedish). January 24, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ a b Julia Leas at Soccerway
- ^ a b Julia Leas at FBref.com
- ^ "2024 Vittsjö Stats". FBref.com.
External links
edit- Julia Leas at Soccerway.com
- Julia Leas at FBref.com
