Who Is Rose Lavelle? New Details On The U.S. Women's Soccer Midfielder Competing In The World Cup
She already scored two goals during the World Cup!
getty The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup is almost over, and has been taking place since June 11th. So far, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team has defeated Thailand 13-0, and Chile 3-0. On June 20th, in their last game, they’ll face off against Sweden.
The U.S. team is the most successful team in international women’s soccer. They’ve won three Women’s World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals! And with their recent lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation for unequal pay, this tournament is proving they deserve the same pay as their male counterparts.
For soccer fans, this World Cup is extremely important, and when you get to know the individual players on the field, you can get even more invested. To add an additional layer to your soccer-viewing, we’re wondering: who is Rose Lavelle?
Here are 4 things to know about the midfielder playing on the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team.
1. She played soccer in college.
Though Lavelle began playing the sport with Sycamore United Soccer Club and Cincinnati United Premier Soccer Club in Ohio, she also played on her high school’s varsity team for all four years. Following graduation, she played as a Badger on the University of Wisconsin at Madison team from 2013 to 2016.
In her junior year, she was named first-team All-American by NSCAA, the first time since 1991. Lavelle also played with the Dayton Dutch Lions during the 2014 season, and for the Seattle Sounders in 2015.
2. After college, she became a professional athlete.
In 2017, she was drafted by the Boston Breakers, and was named Player of the Month that April. However, she missed two months and only appeared 10 times during the season due to a hamstring injury. She folded before the 2018 season, but eventually was drafted as the first overall pick for Washington Spirit.
In 2015, two years earlier, she was asked to train with USWNT, and played during the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Throughout her career, she’s won a number of awards, including 2014 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship Golden Ball, 2014 U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year Finalist, First Team All-Big Ten from 2013-2016, and NSCAA Second Team All-American in 2014 and 2016.
3. Her coach inspired her confidence.
Lavelle credits her University of Wisconsin coach, Paula Wilkins, with keeping her on her toes. When she appeared in her first World Cup this year, she emailed her coach asking if she wanted to come.
“I honestly thought she might not want to. But she had so much confidence in me, even when I didn’t have confidence in myself,” she recalled in her bio. “I want to keep getting better so that I can have more fun. The better I am, the more fun I’m having,” she added.
4. And she’s excited about playing in her first World Cup.
“When you get on the field you’re playing the same game that you’ve always been playing. But I think there was more of a buzz and an excitement around this game. We’d been waiting a really long time to play. I was glad to get on the scoreboard. But it wasn’t like that on my bucket list,” Lavelle said about being a newcomer in the World Cup.
She also looked back on how her injuries have changed her: “I learned a lot from it and I think I’ll be a better player and have a longer career because of it. The main thing was to be a 24/7 athlete. In college you can get away with not fully committing yourself. But that turned into my full-time job. I wasn’t a student anymore. I was just a soccer player. I had to switch my mind-set.”
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.