Leah Freeman

Leah Freeman
Freeman with Duke in 2024
Personal information
Date of birth (2002-02-06) February 6, 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth Berkeley, California, United States
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2022 Oregon Ducks 49 (0)
2023–2024 Duke Blue Devils 37 (0)
International career‡
2020 United States U-18 1 (0)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of January 29, 2020

Leah Freeman (born February 6, 2002) is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper. She played college soccer for the Oregon Ducks and the Duke Blue Devils, being named Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year with Oregon in 2022 and ACC Goalkeeper of the Year with Duke in 2024.

Early life and college career

Freeman was born in Berkeley, California, to Dale and Kerry Freeman, and has three siblings.[1][2] She played club soccer for Mustang SC, which she helped reach the ECNL national semifinals in 2017–18. She played high school soccer for Berkeley High School, where she was named first-team All-American as a junior in 2018–19.[2] She committed to the University of Oregon as a freshman.[3]

Oregon Ducks

Freeman became the starting goalkeeper for the Oregon Ducks as a freshman in spring 2021 after the fall season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She set program records of single-season goals against average (0.74) and consecutive minutes without conceding a goal (more than five games), helping Oregon to its first winning season since 2006. She was named to the Pac-12 Conference all-conference third team and all-freshman team.[3] In her sophomore season in fall 2021, she kept a program-record nine clean sheets and was named to the All-Pac 12 first team.[1] She trained with National Women's Soccer League club Kansas City Current the following summer.[4]

Freeman posted a career-high 114 saves as a junior in 2022, the most of any power conference goalkeeper, and became the first Oregon player to be named Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year. She made a career-high 14 saves in a shutout of rival Washington.[1] She underwent hip surgery after the season.[4] Oregon did not qualify for the NCAA tournament during Freeman's three years there despite two winning seasons.[5][6] She left as the program leader in career clean sheets (18) and goals against average (1.05).[1]

Duke Blue Devils

After three seasons in Eugene, Freeman transferred to the Duke Blue Devils ahead of the 2023 season.[7] She played all but one game for Duke as a senior and was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference third team. She saved a penalty kick by Avery Patterson in a 1–1 draw with rival North Carolina.[2][8] In her final season in 2024, she helped lead Duke to the national No. 1 ranking and the ACC regular-season title, and she did not concede a goal during the NCAA tournament until the semifinals where they lost to North Carolina. She was named first-team All-ACC, first-team All-American, and the ACC Goalkeeper of the Year, becoming the first college soccer player to win that award in two different conferences.[9][10]

International career

Freeman trained with the United States national under-16, under-18, and under-20 teams, appearing in one friendly for the under-18s against Norway in 2020.[2][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Leah Freeman". Oregon Ducks. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Leah Freeman". Duke Blue Devils. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Hansen, Chris (October 6, 2021). "Goalkeeper Leah Freeman stopping shots and setting records for Oregon soccer". The Register-Guard. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Baudhuin, Leo (March 3, 2023). "Berkeley's Blue Devil". Rose City Review. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  5. ^ Hansen, Chris (November 8, 2021). "Oregon women's soccer left out of NCAA Tournament". The Register-Guard. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  6. ^ Herrera, Hayden (December 14, 2022). "Oregon goalkeeper Leah Freeman transfers to Duke". KVAL-TV. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  7. ^ "Women's Soccer Adds Transfer Leah Freeman". Duke Blue Devils. January 9, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  8. ^ Sheehy, Mackenzie (October 9, 2023). "No. 22 Duke women's soccer leaves it late against North Carolina, snatches draw on Rader's last-minute equalizer". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  9. ^ Tan, Jun (December 6, 2024). "No. 1 Duke women's soccer ends historic Robbie Church era with 3–0 College Cup loss to North Carolina". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  10. ^ "10 College Prospects to Watch This Offseason". National Women's Soccer League. December 17, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2024.