Leah Freeman (born February 6, 2002) is an American college soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for the Duke Blue Devils. She previously played for the Oregon Ducks. She was named Pac-12 Conference goalkeeper of the year with Oregon in 2022 and Atlantic Coast Conference goalkeeper of the year with Duke in 2024.
 Freeman with Duke in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | February 6, 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Berkeley, California, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Duke Blue Devils | ||
| Number | 0 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2022 | Oregon Ducks | 49 | (0) |
| 2023– | Duke Blue Devils | 31 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2020 | United States U-18 | 1 | (0) |
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of January 29, 2020 | |||
Early life
editFreeman was born in Berkeley, California, to Dale and Kerry Freeman, and has three siblings.[1][2] She played club soccer for Mustang SC, which she helped reach the ECNL national semifinals in 2017–18. She played high school soccer for Berkeley High School, where she was named first-team All-American as a junior in 2018–19.[2] She committed to the University of Oregon as a freshman.[3]
College career
editOregon Ducks
editFreeman became the starting goalkeeper for the Oregon Ducks as a freshman in spring 2021 after the fall season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She set program records of single-season goals against average (0.74) and consecutive minutes without conceding a goal (more than five games), helping Oregon to its first winning season since 2006. She was named to the Pac-12 Conference all-conference third team and all-freshman team.[3] In her sophomore season in fall 2021, she kept a program-record nine clean sheets and was named to the All-Pac 12 first team.[1] She trained with National Women's Soccer League club Kansas City Current in the summer of 2022.[4]
Freeman posted a career-high 114 saves as a junior in 2022, the most of any power conference goalkeeper, and became the first Oregon player to be named the Pac-12 goalkeeper of the year. She made a career-high 14 saves in a shutout of rival Washington.[1] She underwent hip surgery after the season.[4] Oregon did not qualify for the NCAA tournament during Freeman's three years there despite two winning seasons.[5][6] She left as the program leader in career clean sheets (18) and goals against average (1.05).[1]
Duke Blue Devils
editAfter three seasons at Oregon, Freeman transferred to the Duke Blue Devils ahead of the 2023 season.[7] She played all but one game for Duke as a senior and was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference third team. She saved a penalty kick by Avery Patterson in a 1–1 draw with rival North Carolina.[2][8] She helped lead Duke to the ACC regular-season title in 2024, being named the conference goalkeeper of the year.[9]
International career
editFreeman trained with the United States national under-16, under-18, and under-20 teams, appearing in one friendly for the under-18s against Norway in 2020.[2][4]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Leah Freeman". Oregon Ducks. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Leah Freeman". Duke Blue Devils. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Hansen, Chris (October 6, 2021). "Goalkeeper Leah Freeman stopping shots and setting records for Oregon soccer". The Register-Guard. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ a b c Baudhuin, Leo (March 3, 2023). "Berkeley's Blue Devil". Rose City Review. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ Hansen, Chris (November 8, 2021). "Oregon women's soccer left out of NCAA Tournament". The Register-Guard. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ Herrera, Hayden (December 14, 2022). "Oregon goalkeeper Leah Freeman transfers to Duke". KVAL-TV. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ "Women's Soccer Adds Transfer Leah Freeman". Duke Blue Devils. January 9, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ Sheehy, Mackenzie (October 9, 2023). "No. 22 Duke women's soccer leaves it late against North Carolina, snatches draw on Rader's last-minute equalizer". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ "2024 All-ACC Women's Soccer Awards Announced". Atlantic Coast Conference. November 6, 2024. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
External links
edit- Leah Freeman at Soccerway.com
