Julia Dorsey (soccer) explained

Julia Dorsey
Full Name:Julia Carroll Dorsey
Birth Date:8 August 2000
Birth Place:Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Height:5 ft 7 in
Position:Defender
Currentclub:Dallas Trinity
(on loan from the North Carolina Courage)
Collegeyears1:2019–2023
College1:North Carolina (soccer)
Collegecaps1:69
Collegegoals1:2
Collegeyears2:2020–2023
College2:North Carolina (lacrosse)
Collegecaps2:56
Collegegoals2:3
Years1:2024–
Clubs1:North Carolina Courage
Caps1:0
Goals1:0
Years2:2024–
Clubs2:Dallas Trinity (loan)
Caps2:1
Goals2:0
Nationalyears1:2019
Nationalteam1:United States U20
Club-Update:August 18, 2024

Julia Carroll Dorsey (born August 8, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Dallas Trinity FC of the USL Super League, on loan from National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club North Carolina Courage. A former two-sport athlete, she played soccer and lacrosse at the University of North Carolina, winning the NCAA championship with the lacrosse team in 2022. She was selected by the Courage in the 2024 NWSL Draft.

Early life

Dorsey was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Van and Jessica Dorsey, and has an older sister.[1] She began playing soccer at age five and lacrosse shortly thereafter. Her father, a former college soccer player for the Middlebury Panthers, coached her first club team when she was six or seven.[1] [2]

Dorsey played high school soccer, basketball, and lacrosse at McDonogh School, a private prep school in Owings Mills, Maryland. Her lacrosse team went undefeated to win IAAM championships in 2016, 2017, and 2019, with Dorsey in midfield; she sat out the 2018 season after suffering an ACL tear.[3] She also won three IAAM titles with the soccer team in 2015, 2017, and 2018, playing as a forward for her first three seasons and right back in her senior year.[4] [5] That year, after captaining both teams to undefeated record, she received All-American honors in both sports and was named The Baltimore Sun high school female athlete of the year.[6] [7] While in high school, she played club soccer for the Bethesda Soccer Club and club lacrosse for Sky Walkers Lacrosse.[1] [2]

College career

Dorsey chose the University of North Carolina as a school where she could play both soccer and lacrosse (on a lacrosse scholarship).[6] [8] She joined the soccer team's starting lineup during the 2019 season, helping the team to win the ACC tournament and reach the NCAA championship game.[9] [10] She was recognized by TopDrawerSoccer.com with Freshman Best XI and second-team Best XI honors.[11] She became the sixth person in school history to play for both programs after debuting for the lacrosse team in the spring of 2020.[1] As a sophomore, she started for the soccer team throughout the fall of 2020, then helped the lacrosse team go undefeated on the way to the 2021 NCAA semifinals.[1] [12]

Dorsey sat out the start of her junior soccer season due to injury but returned later in the year and recorded her first career goal, a tap-in to force overtime against Boston College in October 2021.[8] [13] In the spring of 2022, as she switched from midfield to defense, she helped the lacrosse team go undefeated to win the NCAA championship.[14] Later that year, she helped the soccer team reach the final of the NCAA tournament, anchoring a conference-best back line and scoring the third goal in a 3–2 win over Florida State in the NCAA semifinals, but they finished runners-up in the title game.[15] She suffered an ACL tear ending her senior lacrosse season in the spring of 2023.[1] [16]

Club career

The North Carolina Courage selected Dorsey with the 40th overall pick in the third round of the 2024 NWSL Draft.[17] She was signed to a three-year contract.[18]

On August 9, 2024, ahead of the inaugural 2024–25 USL Super League season, Dorsey was loaned to Dallas Trinity FC for the rest of the NWSL season.[19] She appeared in the starting lineup of Trinity's first-ever game on August 18, which they drew 1–1 to Tampa Bay Sun FC, and marked Dorsey's first game since her ACL injury in 2023.[20]

International career

Dorsey, who played in the Olympic Development Program in middle school, was called up to the United States national under-20 soccer team for friendlies in December 2019.[2] [21]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Julia Dorsey – Women's Soccer. University of North Carolina Athletics. 2024-01-09.
    Web site: Julia Dorsey – Women's Lacrosse. University of North Carolina Athletics. 2024-01-09.
  2. News: Two-Sport Wonder. 2018-10-04. The Towson Times. Heubeck. Elizabeth. 2024-01-10.
  3. News: McDonogh star Julia Dorsey poised for senior year with soccer and lacrosse ahead at North Carolina. https://archive.today/20240109031108/https://www.baltimoresun.com/2018/09/13/mcdonogh-star-julia-dorsey-poised-for-senior-year-with-soccer-and-lacrosse-ahead-at-north-carolina/. 2018-09-13. Graham. Glenn. The Baltimore Sun. 2024-01-09. subscription.
  4. News: 2018 All-Metro girls soccer first and second teams. https://archive.today/20240110052923/https://www.baltimoresun.com/2018/12/26/2018-all-metro-girls-soccer-first-and-second-teams/. 2018-12-26. Graham. Glenn. The Baltimore Sun. 2024-01-10. subscription.
  5. Web site: Past Champions – Varsity Soccer Champions. Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland. 2024-01-10.
  6. News: 2018–19 High School Female Athlete of the Year: McDonogh three-sport star Julia Dorsey. https://archive.today/20240109031110/https://www.baltimoresun.com/2019/07/02/2018-19-high-school-female-athlete-of-the-year-mcdonogh-three-sport-star-julia-dorsey/. 2019-07-02. Graham. Glenn. The Baltimore Sun. 2024-01-09. subscription.
  7. News: United Soccer Coaches Announces 2018 Fall High School All-America Teams. 2018-12-03. United Soccer Coaches. 2024-01-10.
    News: Five more Baltimore-area players named in final wave of Under Armour lacrosse All-Americans. https://archive.today/20240110050028/https://www.baltimoresun.com/2019/05/21/five-more-baltimore-area-players-named-in-final-wave-of-under-armour-lacrosse-all-americans/. 2019-05-21. Graham. Glenn. The Baltimore Sun. 2024-01-10. subscription.
    News: HS Girls: TDS Fall All-America. 2019-06-24. TopDrawerSoccer.com. 2024-01-10.
  8. News: Dorsey Looking To Make Dual Sport History. Jones. Jody. 2022-11-10. University of North Carolina Athletics. 2024-01-09.
  9. News: Beast Mode: North Carolina's Julia Dorsey is a Soccer–Lacrosse Standout. USA Lacrosse Magazine. 2020-03-05. DaSilva. Matt. 2024-01-09.
  10. News: 2019 Women's Soccer Schedule. University of North Carolina Athletics. 2024-01-09.
  11. News: Top Drawer Soccer Places Five Tar Heels on Women's Best XI Teams. 2019-12-16. Trendel. Avery. Chapelboro.com. 2024-01-09.
  12. News: BC Ends Women's Lacrosse Season, 11–10, In NCAA Semis. 2021-05-28. University of North Carolina Athletics. 2024-01-09.
  13. News: Maggie Pierce's Match-Winner Clinches Dramatic Victory for UNC Women's Soccer. 2021-10-10. Koh. Michael. Chapelboro.com. 2024-01-09.
  14. News: Perfection! Tar Heels Cap Undefeated Season With NCAA Title. 2022-05-29. University of North Carolina Athletics. 2024-01-09.
  15. News: UNC Women's Soccer Advances to National Championship With 3–2 Win Over FSU. 2022-12-02. Koh. Michael. Chapelboro.com. 2024-01-09.
  16. News: Dual-sport athlete Julia Dorsey mentors UNC women's soccer, aims for national title. Singleton. Erin. 2023-10-12. The Daily Tar Heel. 2024-01-09.
  17. News: Sentnor Picked 1st Overall; 5 Other UNC Women's Soccer Players Selected in NWSL Draft. Koh. Michael. 2024-01-12. Chapelboro.com. 2024-01-13.
  18. News: Courage signs 2024 Draft Class. 2024-03-12. North Carolina Courage. 2024-03-12.
  19. News: Courage loans defender Julia Dorsey to Dallas Trinity FC. 2024-08-09. North Carolina Courage. 2024-08-09.
  20. News: Tampa Bay Sun FC 1–1 Dallas Trinity FC. 2024-08-18. USL Super League. 2024-08-18.
  21. News: Thirty-Four Players Called to Represent U.S. Under-20 Women's National Team at 2019 Nike International Friendlies. 2019-12-04. United States Soccer Federation. 2024-01-10.