About
Katherine Hailey Hershfelt (born October 3, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defensive midfielder for the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. She played college soccer for the Clemson Tigers and was selected fifth overall by the Spirit in the 2024 NWSL Draft. She earned second-team NWSL Best XI honors as a rookie and helped the Spirit to NWSL Championship appearances in both of her first two seasons. She was included as an alternate for the United States squad that won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Hershfelt was born in San Diego, California, in a military family, and has a younger brother. Her family moved often, living in many states across the South, but she calls Hattiesburg, Mississippi, her hometown. During high school, she moved to Georgia to play for the Concorde Fire, reaching the ECNL semifinals in 2017. Shortly after the move, she tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in her knee, injuries that limited her recruiting before she committed to Clemson as a sophomore. She graduated from Lassiter High School in Marietta, Georgia.
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