Ayo Oke (soccer)

Ayo Oke
Personal information
Full name Ayooluwa Naomi Oke
Date of birth (2003-04-05) April 5, 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth Lawrenceville, Georgia, U.S.
Height 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Pachuca
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2022 California Golden Bears 33 (2)
2023–2024 UCLA Bruins 32 (3)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2025– Pachuca 2 (0)
International career
2018 United States U-15
2018 United States U-16
2019 United States U-17 4 (0)
2019 United States U-18 4 (0)
2022 United States U-20 11 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of January 20, 2025

Ayooluwa Naomi Oke (born April 5, 2003) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Liga MX Femenil club Pachuca. She played college soccer for the California Golden Bears and the UCLA Bruins. She represented the United States at the youth international level.

Early life and college career

Oke was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia, the younger of two children born to Nigerian parents Kolade and Ronke Oke. She played club soccer for NTH Tophat, where she earned two-time All-American honors. She also starred on the soccer team at Brookwood High School.[1]

California Golden Bears, UCLA Bruins

Oke played for the California Golden Bears for two seasons in 2021 and 2022, scoring 2 goals and providing 10 assists in 33 games (31 starts). She was named Pac-12 Conference all-freshman and then second-team All-Pac-12 as a sophomore.[1][2] She transferred to the UCLA Bruins in 2023, starting all 19 games. She scored 1 goal (against California) with 4 assists and contributed to 11 clean sheets, repeating as second-team All-Pac-12. UCLA won the Pac-12 Conference but were upset as top-seeded defending champions by UC Irvine in the first round of the NCAA tournament.[1][3] In her senior season in 2024, she dealt with injury and played in 15 games (5 starts).[1][4] She had one goal and one assist during the Big Ten Tournament, which she helped UCLA win in their first season in the conference. She also scored in her final game, a 2–1 loss to Virginia Tech in the second round of the NCAA tournament.[5]

Club career

Pachuca

Liga MX Femenil club Pachuca announced Oke's signing on January 14, 2025, during the start of the 2025 Clausura.[6]

International career

Oke played friendlies for the United States youth national team at the under-15, under-16, under-17, and under-18 levels.[7][8] She played in the first six games (two starts) for the under-20 team at the 2022 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship, allowing no goals, and was unused for the final as they defeated Mexico.[7][9] She played in two games at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, starting in their 3–0 loss to the Netherlands, as the United States failed to make it out of the group stage.[7] She played for the under-23 team against NWSL competition in the 2023 preseason.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Ayo Oke". UCLA Bruins. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  2. ^ "Ayo Oke". California Golden Bears. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  3. ^ Friedman, Isabelle (November 10, 2023). "UC Irvine cuts No. 1 seed UCLA women's soccer's NCAA run short with late-game shot". Daily Bruin. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  4. ^ Garcia, Samantha (September 1, 2024). "UCLA women's soccer begins series of away games with matchup against Pepperdine". Daily Bruin. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  5. ^ Abumansour, Rahaf (November 14, 2024). "Big Ten crown in hand, women's soccer prepares for NCAA tournament redemption". Daily Bruin. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  6. ^ Santoy, Héctor (January 15, 2025). "Las Tuzas del Pachuca tienen nuevo refuerzo: Ayooluwa Oke". Organización Editorial Mexicana. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c Ayo Oke at Soccerway Edit this at Wikidata
  8. ^ "U.S. U-15 Girls National Team earns 3-2 win over Japan". SoccerWire. August 23, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
    "U.S. U-16 Girls National Team routs Belgium 5-1 in UEFA Tournament". SoccerWire. May 15, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  9. ^ "USA Wins Concacaf Women's U-20 Championship With 2-0 Victory Over Mexico". United States Soccer Federation. March 12, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  10. ^ "U.S. Under-23 Women's Youth National Team Falls 3–0 To OL Reign To Open Thorns Preseason Tournament". United States Soccer Federation. March 12, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2025.