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Haley Hopkins
Haley Elizabeth Hopkins (born December 21, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for the Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Virginia Cavaliers and was selected by the North Carolina Courage in the first round of the 2023 NWSL Draft. Early life and college careerHopkins grew up in Newport Beach, California, with three siblings.[2][3] Her father played college football and baseball for the Virginia Cavaliers and was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 1982 MLB draft.[4] Hopkins began playing soccer at age four.[5] She played youth soccer for Slammers FC of the Elite Clubs National League and Mater Dei High School, where she graduated in 2017.[6][7] Vanderbilt Commodores (2017–2021)Hopkins played only one game for the Commodores soccer team in her first season, in 2017, because of knee pain that required multiple surgeries.[8] In 2018, as a redshirt freshman, she led the Commodores with 14 goals and 7 assists in 21 games and was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Year.[2] She again led the team with 13 goals in 21 games as a redshirt sophomore in 2019.[6] She dealt with injuries the next year but still had a team-best 7 goals in 15 games and helped the Commodores win the 2020 SEC tournament, in which she scored two goals.[5][6] With the second-most goals in Vanderbilt history (34), she was named All-SEC all three full seasons and third-team All-American two times.[4] Virginia Cavaliers (2021–2022)Hopkins transferred to the Virginia Cavaliers in 2021, enrolling as a graduate student in the University of Virginia School of Medicine.[9] She scored two times on her debut and finished her first season with 8 goals and 9 assists in 23 games.[3] The following season, she scored a hat trick in the first 15 minutes against Fairleigh Dickinson and ended her final season with 14 goals and 5 assists in 23 games.[4][10] In the 2022 NCAA tournament, she scored in overtime against Penn State to help the Cavaliers advances the quarterfinals.[11] She was named All-ACC both years in Virginia.[3][12] Club careerNorth Carolina Courage (2023–2024)The North Carolina Courage, which held multiple first-round picks, selected Hopkins 11th overall in the 2023 NWSL Draft.[13] She was signed to a three-year contract.[14] She made her professional debut on April 1, 2023, coming in for Olivia Wingate in a 3–1 away loss to the San Diego Wave.[15] She scored her first two professional goals in a 5–0 win against the Orlando Pride in the group stage of the Challenge Cup on July 29.[16] She scored her first regular-season goal on September 2, notching the Courage's third goal and assisting Kerolin for their second goal in a 3–3 draw against Gotham.[17][18] She started for the Courage in the Challenge Cup final, a 2–0 victory over Racing Louisville.[19] She finished her rookie season with 3 goals in 20 games (5 starts) in all competitions.[19] Hopkins scored in two of the Courage's first three home games of 2024, doing so in a 5–1 win against the Houston Dash and a 2–0 win against the Portland Thorns.[20] However, while she featured regularly in the starting lineup, she found the back of the net only once more in the regular season.[20] In the last group game of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, she assisted Ashley Sanchez's opener and scored the second goal in a 3–0 win against Monterrey, which helped secure the Courage's place in the semifinals.[21] She ended the year with 4 goals in 28 games (20 starts) in all competitions.[22] Kansas City Current (2025–present)The Kansas City Current announced on January 30, 2025, that they had acquired Hopkins from the Courage for $50,000 in intra-league transfer funds.[23] Personal lifeIn July 2024, Hopkins was one of five active NWSL players who represented the NWSL Players Association at the final negotiations in Philadelphia that updated the league's collective bargaining agreement through 2030.[24] HonorsNorth Carolina Courage References
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Haley Hopkins.
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