Stephanie Renee Cox (born Stephanie Renee Lopez, 3 April 1986, in San Jose, California) is an American soccer defender currently playing for Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer and is a member of the United States women's national soccer team.
[edit] Early years
Stephanie grew up in Elk Grove, California and attended Elk Grove High School where she helped lead her soccer team to two league championships. She was named to the all-section team as a junior and senior, won the youth All-American award from NSCAA and was named a Parade Magazine All-American. On top of her numerous soccer achievements, Stephanie also lettered in basketball for three years and managed to graduate with a 4.17 GPA.
[edit] Career
[edit] Collegiate career
Stephanie attended the University of Portland, where she started 23 matches her freshman year. In 2005, after returning to the Pilots following a red shirt season to play for her country, Stephanie helped lead her team to an undefeated record of 23-0-2 and an NCAA Championship and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. The following season, she started in 13 games and scored her first collegiate goal. In 2007, after she returned from the World Cup, Lopez led the Pilots to 11 straight wins and 10 shutouts and helped her team advance to the NCAA quarterfinals. That year, after the World Cup, Stephanie had a chance to forgo her remaining collegiate eligibility and become a salaried player with the senior national team, but loyalty to her team and prior commitments led her back to Portland where she graduated with a 3.7 GPA and a psychology degree and a Spanish minor in December 2007. She was honored as the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award winner, recognizing her as the nation's top senior in women's soccer.
[edit] National Team career
Stephanie became involved in the US National Team Youth program in 2000. At the U-20 level, she played at the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in Thailand; two years later, she captained the US team in the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Championship in Russia. She made her first Women’s national career start against France at the Algarve Cup in 2006. Stephanie’s fluid play allows her to snuff out opponents’ threats and transition into the attack while she provides a calm, reassuring influence to her teammates. Her talented play helped the Women's National Team win a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
In 2007, Stephanie received the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, which is presented to the collegiate athlete who best demonstrates excellence in the classroom and remarkable character within the community, as well as success in athletic competition. 2007 also marked the first time the award was presented to a female soccer player. Cox was also chosen as Oregon's Female Amateur Athlete of the Year for 2007.
[edit] Personal life
In addition to being an extremely successful soccer player, Stephanie is dedicated to bettering the world around her. Having grown up in a foster home where her parents have cared for 88 different foster children to date, Stephanie was taught from a very young age to appreciate everything and to never take anything for granted. She has assisted her parents in leading a group of teens to Egypt to paint an orphanage, traveled to the Bahamas to clear land for construction of a learning center, traveled to Mexico to serve meals to American missionaries and was part of a team that created a Hurricane Katrina fundraiser in 2005. She recently became a spokesperson for Casey Family Services which is the country's largest foster care organization. Her former University of Portland Pilots’ coach, Garrett Smith, said, “Stephanie has been a wonderful ambassador for our soccer program and the University. On the field, Stephanie is the ultimate team player and makes everyone around her better, but that pales in comparison to the impact that she has on others off the field.”
Stephanie lives in Gig Harbor, Washington with her husband, former University of Portland baseball player Brian Cox.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
United States U-14
