Ashley Orkus

Ashley Orkus
Personal information
Full name Ashley Brown Orkus[1]
Date of birth (1998-10-09) October 9, 1998 (age 26)[1]
Place of birth Marietta, Georgia, United States[1]
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Tampa Bay Sun
Number 28
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017 Tennessee Volunteers 4 (0)
2018–2022 Ole Miss Rebels 79 (1)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023 FHL [lt]
2024– Tampa Bay Sun 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 8, 2024

Ashley Brown Orkus (born October 9, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Tampa Bay Sun FC of the USL Super League. She played college soccer for the Ole Miss Rebels, where she was a three-time Southeastern Conference goalkeeper of the year and a first-team All-American as a redshirt senior in 2021.

Early life and college career

Orkus was born in Marietta, Georgia, and grew up in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.[1] Both of her parents attended the University of Georgia.[3] Orkus began playing soccer as a forward but switched to goalkeeper at age eight when her club team ran out of substitutes in a game.[3] She played club soccer for the Birmingham United Soccer Association and the Concorde Fire. She received call-ups to train with the United States youth national team at the under-15 and under-17 level in 2013 and the under-18s in 2014 and 2016.[4][5] She graduated from Vestavia Hills High School.[1]

Ole Miss Rebels, 2018–2022

Following one season as Shae Yanez's backup for the Tennessee Volunteers in 2017, Orkus transferred to the Ole Miss Rebels but had to sit out her sophomore season due to NCAA transfer rules.[2][6] She became the starting keeper for the Rebels in the 2019 season, posting a career-high 90 saves that ranked second in the Southeastern Conference.[2] The following season, she led the SEC with 85 saves as a redshirt junior in 2020. She helped lead Ole Miss to the third round of the NCAA tournament, saving seven penalty kicks in two shootout wins over Bowling Green and USC and saving one penalty kick in overtime against the latter. She was named the SEC goalkeeper of the year, first-team All-SEC, third-team United Soccer Coaches All-American, and first-team TopDrawerSoccer Best XI.[2][7]

Orkus made 76 saves in her redshirt senior season in 2021, helping Ole Miss reach a career-high 11 wins. She repeated as SEC goalkeeper of the year and first-team All-SEC, and she became the first Rebel to be named first-team All-American and first listed as a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy.[2][8] In her final season in 2022, she made 67 saves and kept a career-high 10 clean sheets. She was once again SEC goalkeeper of the year (the only multi-time recipient) and first-team All-SEC. She scored the only goal of her college career that year off a free kick in a 2–1 win over Kentucky. By the end of the season, she held Ole Miss program records for career saves (318) and clean sheets (25).[2]

Club career

FHL, 2023

Following her college graduation, Orkus was drafted by National Women's Soccer League club Kansas City Current as the 47th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NWSL Draft; she was one of eight players, and the second goalkeeper, selected by the Current that night. She trained with the team in the preseason but was waived before the season began.[3] On April 4, 2023, Orkus signed with Icelandic club Fjardabyggd/Höttur/Leiknir [lt] of the second-tier 1. deild kvenna.[9] Despite her club placing only one spot safe of relegation in the 2023 season [lt], she performed well and was named FHL's most valuable player of the season.[10][11]

Tampa Bay Sun, 2024–

USL Super League club Tampa Bay Sun FC announced they signed Orkus on June 14, 2024, ahead of the league's inaugural 2024–25 season.[12] Orkus impressed in the Sun's first-ever game on August 18, making six saves in a 1–1 draw to Dallas Trinity FC.[13] She saved a penalty kick in the closing minutes of the next week's scoreless draw to DC Power FC.[14] For her performance, she was named the league's inaugural Player of the Month for August.[15]

Style of play

Orkus cites Petr Čech, Manuel Neuer, Joe Hart, and Kailen Sheridan as inspirations.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Ashley Orkus". Tennessee Volunteers. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Ashley Orkus". Ole Miss Rebels. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Vaughn, Dan (August 23, 2024). "Being the Best: Ashley Orkus and the Rise of the Sun". Protagonist Soccer. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  4. ^ "U.S. U-15 GNT To Hold Training Camp At NTC". United States Soccer Federation. August 11, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
    "U.S. U-17 WNT Prepares for CONCACAF Qualifying with Florida Training Camp". United States Soccer Federation. September 11, 2013. Archived from the original on September 15, 2013.
  5. ^ "Roster named for Oct. U18 WNT camp". United States Soccer Federation. October 13, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
    "U18 WNT heads to USOC Training Center". United States Soccer Federation. September 2, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
  6. ^ "Shae Yanez". Tennessee Volunteers. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  7. ^ Johnson, David (August 10, 2021). "Preview | Ole Miss Soccer's Ashley Orkus one of nation's top goal keepers". 247 Sports. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  8. ^ "Orkus Becomes Ole Miss' First Ever First Team All-American". Ole Miss Rebels. December 2, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  9. ^ "Konur: Félagaskiptin í íslenska fótboltanum – lokadagur". Morgunblaðið (in Lithuanian). April 26, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  10. ^ "Ashley Orkus". Tampa Bay Sun FC. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  11. ^ "1. Deild Women – 2023". Soccerway. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  12. ^ Tampa Bay Sun FC [@tampabaysunfc] (June 14, 2024). "Goalie Alert! Tampa Bay Sun FC ..." Retrieved September 8, 2024 – via Instagram.
  13. ^ "Tampa Bay Sun earn draw in first game". Tampa Beacon. August 22, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  14. ^ "Late penalty-kick save preserves shutout as Tampa Bay Sun ties DC Power". Tampa Bay Times. August 24, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  15. ^ "USL Super League Team of the Month – August". USL Super League. September 5, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2024.