Karina LeBlanc

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karina LeBlanc

Karina LeBlanc playing for the Philadelphia Independence, 2010.
Personal information
Full nameKarina Chenelle LeBlanc
Date of birth (1980-03-30) 30 March 1980
Place of birthAtlanta, Georgia, United States
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing positionGoalkeeper
Club information
Current clubChicago Red Stars
Number1
Youth career
1997-2000Nebraska Cornhuskers
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2001-2003Boston Breakers2(0)
2004Montreal Xtreme1(0)
2005-2006New Jersey Wildcats18(0)
2009Los Angeles Sol19(0)
2010Philadelphia Independence14(0)
2011magicJack1(0)
2012Sky Blue FC0(0)
2013-2014Portland Thorns FC21(0)
2014-Chicago Red Stars(0)
National team‡
1998-Canada105(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:53, 30 July 2013 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 04:31, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Karina LeBlanc (born March 30, 1980) is a Canadian soccer goalkeeper who plays for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League and is a member of the Canadian National Team.[1]

Early life

LeBlanc was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Dominican parents, Vans LeBlanc and Winsome LeBlanc, who had temporarily relocated to Atlanta to avoid the dangers of Hurricane David.[2] LeBlanc grew up in Dominica until age eight when her family moved to Maple Ridge, British Columbia. LeBlanc began playing soccer at age 12 and was named one of the top 20 Division I recruits by USA Today in 1997, even though Maple Ridge Secondary School did not have a girls soccer team. She was also an all-provincial basketball player and was voted British Columbia's Most Defensive Player in basketball in 1997.[3]

University of Nebraska

LeBlanc attended the University of Nebraska and earned a degree in business administration. She played goalkeeper for the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1997-2000 and became one of the school's most decorated goalkeepers in the history of the program. She was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy in 2000 and named to the 2001 Umbro Select All-Star Classic Women's Elite College Team.[3] She was also a two-time All-Big 12 selection and was named an All-American.[4]

Playing career

Club

LeBlanc played for Boston Breakers in the Women's United Soccer Association, the first women's professional soccer league in the United States.

In 2004, she played for the Montreal Xtreme of the W-League followed by the New Jersey Wildcats from 2005–2006.

In 2009, she was acquired in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2009 WPS General Draft by the Los Angeles Sol. She started and played in 19 regular-season matches for the team, saving 78 of 93 shots. LeBlanc was named to the 2009 WPS All-Star Team Starting XI.

In 2010, she was selected in the first round (second overall) of the 2010 Los Angeles Sol Dispersal Draft by the Philadelphia Independence.

MagicJack

In August 2011, it was reported that LeBlanc had signed with MagicJack [5] and stepped in as goalkeeper after Hope Solo was sidelined with an injury.[6]

Sky Blue FC

In December 2011, she was signed to the Sky Blue FC for the 2012 season; however, the WPS league folded before the season began.[7]

Portland Thorns FC

On January 11, 2013, it was announced that LeBlanc was one of two Canadian National Team Members selected to join the Portland Thorns FC by way of weighted allocation.[8] On January 13, 2014, Portland Thorns FC announced that LeBlanc had been traded to the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for the 2nd round draft pick in the 2015 NWSL College Draft.[9]

International

LeBlanc has represented Canada at four FIFA Women's World Cups, at the 2008 Olympics and at two Pan American Games, winning the gold medal with the national team at the 2011 Games by stopping two penalty shots in the final.[10] She was part of the Canadian team that on the bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Coaching career

LeBlanc served as an assistant coach at Rutgers University from 2005-2009. She has also served as a goalkeeper coach with the Canadian Under-15 National Team, and developed goalkeeping clinics throughout the United States and Canada.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Canadians Karina LeBlanc, Candace Chapman join Sky Blue FC of WPS". The Globe and Mail. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2012. 
  2. ↑ "Karina Leblanc: World Class Goal Keeper". The Dominican. Retrieved 13 November 2012. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Karina LeBlanc biography". Karina LeBlanc. Retrieved 13 November 2012. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Karina LeBlanc assistant coach profile". Rutgers University. Retrieved 13 November 2012. 
  5. ↑ "LeBlanc joins magicJack, Maron and Rasmussen move onto Sweden". Equalizer Soccer. Retrieved 13 November 2012. 
  6. ↑ "MagicJack riding high into super semifinals". ESPN. Retrieved 13 November 2012. 
  7. ↑ "Sky Blue FC sign Karina LeBlanc for the WPS season 2012". Womens Soccer United. Retrieved 13 November 2012. 
  8. ↑ "Alex Morgan, Christine Sinclair among first among seven players added to Portland Thorns FC through allocation process". Portland Timbers. Retrieved January 11, 2013. 
  9. ↑ "Thorns FC acquire second-round pick in 2015 NWSL Draft from Chicago in exchange for goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc". Portland Timbers. Retrieved January 13, 2014. 
  10. ↑ "Canada wins gold at Guadalajara 2011". Canadian Soccer Association. 27 October 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2012. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Karina LeBlanc.
Portland Thorns FC – current squad
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.