Hershfelt was born in San Diego, California, in a military family, and has a younger brother.[3] Her family moved often, living in many states across the South, but she calls Hattiesburg, Mississippi, her hometown.[3][4] During high school, she moved from Florida to Georgia to play ECNL club soccer for Concorde Fire, which she helped reach the national semifinals in 2017.[3][5] Shortly after her move, she tore her ACL and meniscus, which limited her college search before she committed to Clemson University as a sophomore.[3][6] She graduated from Lassiter High School in Marietta.[7]
Clemson Tigers
Hershfelt was a five-year starter for the Clemson Tigers from 2019 to 2023, making 99 appearances with 16 goals and 12 assists. She earned third-team All-ACC honors as a sophomore, second-team All-ACC as a junior and senior, and first-team All-ACC as a graduate student.[3][5] In her last year at Clemson in 2024, she helped lead the Tigers to the semifinals of the national championship and was named to the all-tournament team.[8]
Club career
USL W League
During the summer of 2022, Hershfelt joined the amateur club Greenville Liberty in the inaugural USL W League season.[9][10] The Liberty placed first in the South Atlantic Division and qualified for the 2022 USL W League national semifinals.
The Washington Spirit selected Hershfelt with the 5th overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft; the Spirit traded Ashley Sanchez to the North Carolina Courage for the pick and US$250,000 in allocation money on draft night.[13] She was signed to a three-year contract.[14] She debuted in the starting lineup of the opening matchday against the Seattle Reign on March 17.[15] The next week, she scored her first professional goal in a 2–1 home win over Bay FC on March 23.[16] Hershfelt played the most minutes of her rookie class (23 starts in 25 appearances) and was named to the NWSL Best XI Second Team after helping the Spirit finish the regular season in second place.[17][18] On November 16, she scored the tying goal against NJ/NY Gotham FC in the NWSL semifinals, heading in Makenna Morris's free kick in the 90+3rd minute. The game ended 1–1 before the Spirit advanced on penalties to the final, where they lost 1–0 to the Orlando Pride.[19][20]
International career
Hershfelt was called into training camp with the United States national team in June 2024, her first national team call-up at any level.[21] Later that month she was named as an alternate to the national team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in France.[22] The United States won the gold medal, defeating Brazil 1–0 in the final on a goal from Mallory Swanson;[23] however, Hershfelt did not receive a medal as an alternate.[24]
Hershfelt made her debut for the United States in a 3–1 friendly victory over Iceland on October 24, 2024, replacing midfielder Sam Coffey in the 72nd minute.[25][26]
Style of play
A defensive midfielder, Hershfelt is known for her ability to disrupt play with good anticipation, smart positioning to make interceptions, and hard tackling.[3][27]
Career statistics
Club
As of November 16, 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
_015.jpg)
