Elizabeth Ball

Elizabeth Rose Ball (born October 20, 1995) is an American soccer player who currently plays as a defender for NWSL club Kansas City Current. Early years Ball played on the Richmond Strikers ECNL (Elite Club National League) team. She was selected to attend the ECNL id2/The Chance National Training Camp in 2013. On her ECNL team from 2011 – 2014, Ball scored 57 goals. Ball played as a forward at Deep Run High School (2010–2014) in Richmond, Virginia. During her high school career, the Wildcats soccer team appeared in the state quarterfinals (2011), semi-finals (2012, 2014) and the finals (2013), winning the title in a 2–1 match against Battlefield High School. As a freshman, Ball was named The Times-Dispatchs 2011 girls soccer Player of the Year, as well as Colonial District and Central Region Player of the Year and team MVP, having scored 20 goals and 9 assists in a 20–1 season. As a sophomore, Ball scored 21 goals and 7 assists, with the team ending the 2012 season as the state semi-finalist. She received The Times-Dispatchs All-Metro Player of the Year honor a second time in 2013 to cap off winning the state championship, having scored both goals in the title match for a total of 34 goals and 7 assists in the season. As a senior, Ball was named 2014 High School State Player of the Year for Virginia by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. College Soccer Ball attended Penn State University (2014–2017), majoring in Biobehavioral Health. She started every game (24) her freshman year as a centerback, scoring one goal and helping to secure 9 shutouts. The 20–4–0 season ended in the NCAA Elite Eight in a 2–1 loss to Texas A&M. As a sophomore (2015), Ball won numerous accolades for her defense including BIG Ten Defensive Player of the Week (twice), TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week and, as a team, winning the Big Ten Tournament. The biggest prize, however, came when Penn State Women's Soccer won the NCAA College Cup Championship, without allowing a single goal in the entire tournament. Ball started all 27 games on a backline that secured 15 shutouts. In addition, she scored 3 goals. The season ended 22–3–2 with the 1–0 win over Duke in the 2015 College Cup final.