Savannah Marie DeMelo (born March 26, 1998) is an American professional soccer midfielder who plays for Racing Louisville FC in the National Women's Soccer League. She was the fourth pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft.[2]
Personal information | |||
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Full name | Savannah Marie DeMelo[1] | ||
Date of birth | (1998-03-26) March 26, 1998 (age 24) | ||
Place of birth | Bellflower, California | ||
Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Racing Louisville | ||
Number | 7 | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2016–2021 | USC Trojans | 75 | (17) |
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2022– | Racing Louisville | 13 | (3) |
National team | |||
2016–2018 | United States U20 | 21 | (6) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of July 30, 2022 |
DeMelo played five years at the University of Southern California, making 75 appearances and tallying 17 goals and 28 assists for the Trojans.[3] A regular starter over her college career, DeMelo was a three-time All-Pac-12 selection, including All-Freshman team honors in 2017. As a sophomore in 2018, DeMelo scored nine goals and assisted 10 others en route to United Soccer Coaches All-American honors. DeMelo missed her junior season because of a torn Achilles' tendon,[4] but she successfully returned to action as a senior, starting all 14 games. USC reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the five years DeMelo played for the Trojans.[3]
Racing Louisville selected DeMelo with the fourth pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft, two spots after the club selected fellow midfielder Jaelin Howell. DeMelo made her professional debut on March 25, playing 11 minutes off the bench against the Houston Dash in Racing's second game of the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup.[5] She started for the first time on April 2 in a 3–0 win against the Kansas City Current. DeMelo has started all of Racing's 13 matches in the 2022 NWSL season, three starts, playing all but two minutes of them.[6] DeMelo's first professional goal, a game-winning direct free kick against San Diego Wave FC on May 18, 2022, was featured on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10.[5][7][8][9]
DeMelo delayed her start at USC to play for the United States in the 2016 U-20 Women's World Cup. She also played in the 2018 U-20 Women's World Cup, scoring four goals, and helped the U.S. win the 2015 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship in Honduras.[3][10][11][12]
Racing Louisville FC – current squad | |
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