July 19, 2024 – USL Super League (USLSL)
Spokane Zephyr FC News Release
Spokane Zephyr FC elevated their roster by adding former Gonzaga Bulldog Sophia “Sophie” Braun, who comes on a loan from the Kansas City Current.
This is the first-ever National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) to USL Super League loan.
While wearing a Gonzaga Bulldogs jersey, Braun made 82 appearances from 2018-2022. Her career as a Zag lasted four seasons, and her play proved to be strong enough to warrant multiple All-West Coast Conference team selections, earning First Team honors in her sophomore and senior year, and made the All-WCC Second Team in her junior season. She totaled eight goals and three assists from her position of center-back, and helped lead her team to a 10-3-5 record and had a huge hand in forcing 11 clean sheets.
Her return to the Lilac City is an exciting one, both for Zephyr fans and Braun herself.
“I could not be more excited for the opportunity to play for a city that I’ve called home,” said Braun. “I’m so grateful to be surrounded by friends and family while doing what I love most. Soccer has and always will belong in Spokane and I can’t wait to get started!”
Outside of her play in Spokane, Braun was able to represent her mother’s native country of Argentina in international play. She played in both the 2020 U20 Women’s Football Championship and – in arguably her biggest performance of her young career – she scored the nation’s first goal in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup against South Africa. Her shot impressed many, coming from deep outside of the box. She has 35 caps for the Argentina senior and U20 national teams, and tallied another goal during the 2021 SheBelieves Cup.
In club play, Braun played in 18 matches for the Liga MX Club León Femenil, a professional women’s football club based in Mexico in 2023 before signing on with NWSL club Kansas City Current.
Braun, 24, was born and raised in Beaverton, Oregon, and played for Jesuit High School in Portland, winning Oregon state championships in 2015 and 2017. In 2017, her senior season, Jesuit was ranked No. 2 nationally by USA Today and Top Drawer soccer.
“It’s going to be so amazing to have a player with such high level international experience playing for Spokane Zephyr FC this season,” said Katie Harnetiaux, President of USL Spokane and principal of Aequus Sports. “Sophie has played in the World Cup and she’s comfortable on the biggest stages. Since she’s from the Northwest and a former Zag, she knows a lot…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at OurSports Central Women's Soccer News…