Olivia Athens
Olivia Marie Athens (born August 1, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for OL Reign of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Olivia Marie Athens[1] | ||
| Date of birth | August 1, 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Stanford, California, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Seattle Reign FC | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2021 | UCLA Bruins | 85 | (12) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019 | LA Galaxy OC | ||
| 2022– | OL Reign | 5 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2016 | United States U18 | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of July 10, 2022 | |||
Early life edit
Born in Stanford, California and raised in nearby Atherton, Athens attended Sacred Heart Prep where she played soccer for two seasons.[1][2] During her time with the varsity team, she scored 33 goals and provided 30 assists.[1] She earned first-team all-league honors the first year and was named the league's Forward of the Year the second.[1][3] She played club soccer for PSV Union FC 98G and won the 2014 Surf Cup.[4][1]
College career edit
UCLA Bruins, 2017–2021 edit
Athens attended UCLA where she played for the UCLA Bruins from 2017 to 2021.[1] During her freshman season in 2017, Athens was a started in 12 of the 23 games she played, including six 2017 NCAA College Cup games.[1] Her first goal was a game-winner against Princeton in the NCAA College Cup quarterfinals.[1] She was named to Top Drawer Soccer's Team of the Week in late November.[5] The Bruins advanced to the final of the College Cup where they were defeated 3–2 by the Stanford Cardinal.[6]
During the 2018 season, Athens ranked third on the Bruins in scoring with four goals, including two game-winners and 16 points.[1] Her eight assists ranked second on the team.[1] She was a starting midfielder in 20 starts of the 22 games she played, including all four 2018 NCAA College Cup games where the team advanced to the quarterfinals and were defeated in a penalty kick shootout by the North Carolina Tar Heels.[1][7] Athens earned honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic honors.[1] In 2019, Athens's season was cut short by a fractured leg injury.[8] Returning in 2020, Athens was a starting midfield in 16 of the 17 games she played, scored four goals and provided eight assists for a total of 16 points.[1] She was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and earned CoSIDA Academic All-District first-team honors.[1] In her final season with the Bruins, Athens was a starter in all 19 games she played. Her four goals and ten points ranked third on the team. Both of the assists she provided were on game-winning goals.[1]
Athens finished her collegiate career with 12 goals and 15 assists in the 85 games she played.[9]
Club career edit
OL Reign, 2022– edit
OL Reign signed Athens in January 2022 ahead of the 2022 season.[10] She made her professional debut for the club in a match against Angel City FC on March 26, 2022.[11] On July 10, 2022, she scored her first professional goal against Portland Thorns FC in her first professional start.[12] Athens finished her rookie season with eight appearances and one goal.[13] The Reign finished in first place and won the NWSL Shield and advanced to the NWSL Playoffs.[14]
Honors edit
- with OL Reign
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Olivia Athens". UCLA Bruins. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "SHP girls roll to an easy victory to open CCS soccer playoffs". Palo Alto Online. February 26, 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "014-15 GIRLS SOCCER FOOTHILL DIVISION ALL-LEAGUE TEAM". West Bay Athletic League. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "PSV Union 97-99G-A Long Term Approach to Development". PSV Union FC. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "Women's Team of the Week: Nov. 20-26, 2017". Top Drawer Soccer. November 28, 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "Stanford wins national title with 3-2 victory over UCLA". NCAA. December 3, 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "TAR HEELS ADVANCE TO COLLEGE CUP WITH SHOOTOUT WIN OVER BRUINS". University of North Carolina. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "UCLA Battles Clemson in NCAA Round of 16 Wednesday". Pac 12 Conference. May 3, 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "OL Reign Inks Deal with UCLA Grad Olivia Athens". Our Sports Central. January 21, 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ Voght, Steve (January 21, 2022). "OL Reign sign midfielder Olivia Athens". Sounder At Heart.
- ^ "Match Recap: OL Reign Soar Past Angel City with Three Goals". OL REIGN: WE ARE THE BOLD.
- ^ Staff, The Equalizer (10 July 2022). "NWSL Results: Dramatic draws for Reign-Thorns and Red Stars-Courage; Kansas City fends off late challenge from Washington – Equalizer Soccer".
- ^ "O. Athens". Soccerway. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ Linehan, Meg (October 1, 2022). "OL Reign wins 2022 NWSL Shield with best regular-season record". The Athletic. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "OL Reign claim NWSL Shield with comfortable win over Orlando". ESPN. 2 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "OL Reign Claim 2022 Women's Cup Title with 2-1 Win over Louisville". King 5. 20 August 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
External links edit
- Olivia Athens at the National Women's Soccer League
- Olivia Athens at Seattle Reign FC
- Olivia Athens at UCLA Bruins
- Olivia Athens at Soccerway