Kate Meguire Wiesner (born February 11, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Penn State Nittany Lions before being selected by the Spirit in the first round of the 2024 NWSL Draft.
.jpg) Wiesner with Penn State in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kate Meguire Wiesner | ||
| Date of birth | February 11, 2001 | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Washington Spirit | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2023 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 71 | (6) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024– | Washington Spirit | 7 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2016–2018 | United States U-17 | 34+ | (1+) |
| 2017 | United States U-19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2019 | United States U-20 | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of May 18, 2024 | |||
Early life
editWiesner was raised in Monrovia, California, the daughter of Scott and Mary Wiesner, and attended Monrovia High School.[1][2] She played club soccer for Slammers FC of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) beginning at age 13, winning national titles in 2015, 2016, and 2018.[1][3][4] She tore her ACL in 2018.[5] TopDrawerSoccer considered her the top recruit of the class of 2019.[5]
College career
editWiesner scored for the Penn State Nittany Lions in her collegiate debut against Stanford on August 23, 2019, but suffered the second ACL tear of her career in the eighth game of the season.[6][7] She returned to the college field two years later, making 19 appearances as a junior in 2021.[8] The following year, she led the Big Ten Conference with 11 assists and scored two goals, including the game winner in the semifinals of the 2022 Big Ten tournament, which Penn State won.[8] She was the team's co-captain and part of their conference-best defense in her final season in 2023.[9][10] She added two goals and five assists and was recognized with All-Big Ten third-team honors.[8][9]
Club career
editThe Washington Spirit selected Wiesner with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NWSL Draft, their third pick of the night.[11] She was signed to a three-year contract.[12] She appeared in the starting lineup of the opening matchday against the Seattle Reign on March 17.[13]
International career
editWiesner was called into training with the United States national under-15 team in 2015.[14] She joined the national under-17 team the following year, playing up two age groups, and was a member of the team at the 2016 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship, the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, and the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup two years later.[1][4] She also played friendly tournaments at the under-19 and under-23 level.[15]
Wiesner was called up as a training player for head coach Emma Hayes's first senior national team camp in June 2024.[16]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Kate Wiesner – Women's Soccer". Penn State Nittany Lions. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ "Kate Wiesner". Washington Spirit. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ Parchman, Will (September 2, 2015). "ECNL stories to watch for the '15-16 season". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ a b Eskilson, J.R. (September 27, 2016). "Meet the U17 World Cup Team: Part Two". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ a b Clark, Travis (August 1, 2018). "2019 Women's Recruiting Rankings: August". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ Aferiat, Jake (August 24, 2019). "Why freshman Kate Wiesner could be the next 'big-time player' for Penn State women's soccer". Centre Daily Times. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ Lapreziosa, Madeline (October 8, 2020). "How a trio of Penn State women's soccer players bonded while recovering from ACL injuries". Daily Collegian. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ a b c Lamm, Keeley (January 12, 2024). "Kate Wiesner Drafted No. 7 Overall By Washington Spirit In 2024 NWSL Draft". Onward State. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ a b Vogt, Amanda (January 12, 2024). "NWSL's Washington Spirit draft Penn State women's soccer defender Kate Wiesner". Daily Collegian. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ "Asman, Dyke and Wiesner Named 2023 Women's Soccer Captains". Penn State Nittany Lions. April 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ Brockway, Ella (January 12, 2024). "Spirit gets busy, deals Ashley Sanchez, Sam Staab and loads up in draft". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ "Washington Spirit Officially Signs 2024 Rookie Class to Professional Contracts". Washington Spirit. March 11, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ Bansil, Sapna (March 17, 2024). "Spirit finds trouble early, drops opener at Seattle". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ "U15, U16 GNTs head to Portland for camp". United States Soccer Federation. June 1, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
- ^ "USA U19 wins CFA International Tournament". United States Soccer Federation. September 15, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
"Under-23 WNT heads to Europe in June". United States Soccer Federation. June 15, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer. - ^ Goff, Steven (May 21, 2024). "Emma Hayes, USWNT's new coach, names her first roster as Olympics near". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
External links
edit- Kate Wiesner at Soccerway.com
- Kate Wiesner at FBref.com
- Kate Wiesner at the Washington Spirit
