Leah Klenke
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | June 21, 2004[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Wingback, fullback | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022– | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 43 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | United States U-20 | 11 | (0) |
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of July 16, 2024 | |||
Leah Klenke (born June 21, 2004) is an American college soccer player who plays as a defender for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the United States under-20 team.
Early life
[edit]Raised in Houston, Texas, Klenke attended Saint Agnes Academy, where she won a state soccer championship as a sophomore and was named all-state three times. She captained her Albion Hurricanes FC club team and was named ECNL all-conference twice.[2] She long aspired to play for Notre Dame, where her parents went to school and her grandfather played college baseball.[3] Klenke also competed in track and cross country in high school, winning state championships in the 800 meters, 1600 meters, 3200 meters, and cross country.[2][4]
College career
[edit]Klenke started for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as a freshman in the 2022 season, scoring minutes into her debut.[3] She played at center back for most of her freshman year, part of an Irish defense that was among the best in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and received all-freshman honors from the ACC and TopDrawerSoccer.[2][3] Notre Dame made it to the semifinals of the ACC championship and the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.[3] Klenke moved to her natural position of wingback as a sophomore in 2023, leading the Irish with ten assists to finish second in the conference standings, and was named second-team All-ACC.[2][3]
International career
[edit]Klenke was called into train with the United States under-14 team in 2018.[5] She was next called into a combined under-18/under-19 camp in early 2023.[6] Later that year she played at the 2023 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship, where the U.S. team secured qualification for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Leah Klenke". United States Soccer Federation. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Leah Klenke". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Post, J.J. (November 2, 2023). "Leading by example, Leah Klenke looks to help 'dream school' Notre Dame in the postseason". The Observer. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
- ^ Grundy, William (April 28, 2021). "Leah Klenke Shoots For Triple At TAPPS 6A Championships". MileSplit Texas. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
Grundy, William (March 29, 2022). "Two Sport Star Leah Klenke Aspires To Be Her Best". MileSplit Texas. Retrieved August 2, 2024. - ^ "U14 GNT heads to camp in Chula Vista". United States Soccer Federation. May 25, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
- ^ "U18/19 WNT Camp Roster Named for California". United States Soccer Federation. January 10, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
- ^ "U.S. U20 WNT Qualifies for World Cup". United States Soccer Federation. June 3, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
External links
[edit]- Leah Klenke at Soccerway
- Living people
- 2004 births
- Soccer players from Houston
- American women's soccer players
- Women's association football midfielders
- United States women's youth international soccer players
- United States women's under-20 international soccer players
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's soccer players
- 21st-century American sportswomen