Lavelle represented the United States at multiple youth levels before making her senior international debut in 2017. She started six games for the United States at the2019 World Cup, scoring three goals, and was awarded theBronze Ball. The same year, she was named the sixth best player in the world atThe Best FIFA Football Awards 2019 and was named to the2019 FIFA FIFPro World XI. She scored one goal at the2020 Tokyo Olympics on the way to a bronze medal and won gold at the2024 Paris Olympics.
Lavelle was born inCincinnati, Ohio, to parents Marty and Janet, and was raised with three siblings, John, Nora and Mary.[3] She played competitive soccer initially with GSSA Sycamore United Club before moving to Lakota United Soccer Club and later with Cincinnati United Premier Soccer Club. She credits her love of soccer to long-time Cincinnati Soccer Trainer Neil Bradford, who began as her trainer at age 8 and predicted her rise to the Women's Soccer National Team as a youth.[4] As part of a third-grade book report, Lavelle chose to write about professional soccer starMia Hamm.[5]
A four-year varsity girls' soccer player atMount Notre Dame High School, Lavelle was named Cincinnati's Player of the Year byThe Cincinnati Enquirer in her senior year. The same year, she scored 15 goals (38 points) for her team. Lavelle finished her high school career as the team's leading scorer with 57 goals. She was twice-named NSCAA All-Region, as a junior and senior, and received first-team all-state honors. She was awarded the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Sports Women of the Year award in 2013.[3]
On January 12, 2017, Lavelle was selected number one overall at the2017 NWSL College Draft by theBoston Breakers.[14] Lavelle started her professional career by scoring two goals in eight games and was named Player of the Month for April.[15] However, after suffering a hamstring injury in June while on international duty, Lavelle missed over two months and finished the season with only ten appearances as a rookie.[16] The Breakers folded before the start of the 2018 season.[17]
Adispersal draft was held by theNWSL to distribute Breakers players across the league. Lavelle was selected first overall byWashington Spirit, who acquired the first pick through a trade withSky Blue FC.[18] Due to injury and international duty Lavelle appeared in only eleven games for the Spirit in 2018.[19] Despite making only six appearances the following year due to international duty, scoring one goal and recording one assist, Lavelle was named to the 2019 NWSL Best XI in the end of the season awards.[20] With the2020 season affected by theCOVID-19 pandemic, Lavelle took part in the2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, making four appearances and scoring one goal as Washington finished second in the preliminary group but were eliminated in the first knockout round bySky Blue FC onpenalties.[21][22]
On August 16, 2020, Lavelle was traded toOL Reign in exchange for OL Reign's natural first-round pick in the 2022 NWSL College Draft, $100,000 in allocation money, and further performance-based allocation money with the acknowledgement that she would be signing outside the league.[23][24]
Lavelle won the2019–20 Women's FA Cup with Manchester City. She started in the November 2020final againstEverton, and Manchester City would end up winning the match 3–1 in added extra time.[29]
On May 17, 2021,OL Reign announced the return of Lavelle to the NWSL as an allocated player having acquired her playing rights prior to her move to England in August 2020.[23][30]
Lavelle with OL Reign in 2022
In 2022, she scored five goals over 18 starts for OL Reign to help secure the franchise's thirdNWSL Shield, a trophy given to the club with the most points at the conclusion of the regular season.[31]
Lavelle missed the majority of the 2023 NWSL season due to injury and being rostered for the2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. She returned for the postseason, helping OL Reign secure a spot in the 2023 NWSL Championship inSan Diego. In the title match, Lavelle scored OL Reign's only goal in a 2–1 defeat toNJ/NY Gotham FC.[32]
On January 4, 2024,NJ/NY Gotham FC announced that Lavelle had signed a three-year deal with the club.[33] She was one of four national team players who joined Gotham as free agents that off-season along withCrystal Dunn,Tierna Davidson, andEmily Sonnett.[34] After missing the start of the season due to a lower leg injury, she made her club debut on April 28, coming off the bench and scoring the tying goal in stoppage time to draw 1–1 againstRacing Louisville.[35] She showcased an exceptional run of form in her first few months with Gotham FC; over 12 matches before the Olympic break, she scored five goals and was named to the NWSL'sTeam of the Month for June.[36] She finished the regular season with 7 goals, tied for second-most on the team, as Gotham placed third in the standings.[37] On November 10, she scored the winning goal in the 90+7th minute of the NWSL quarterfinals, a 2–1 victory over the Portland Thorns. It's currently the latest stoppage time goal in NWSL playoff history.[38] In the semifinals, Gotham fell to the Washington Spirit onpenalties.[39]
After undergoing ankle surgery in the offseason, Lavelle made her first appearance of the season on June 7, 2025, appearing as a substitute in a 2–1 loss toKansas City Current.[40] In the2025 NWSL Championship against the Washington Spirit, she scored the only goal of the game in the 80th minute, securing Gotham's second championship.[41] Her strike from the top of the box was the latest opening goal in NWSL final history, and she was named the championship game MVP.[41]
Lavelle represented the United States at multiple youth levels. On November 24, 2015, Lavelle was called up to train with the seniorUnited States women's national soccer team.[3] One of eight players who joined the team's Victory Tour following the2015 Women's World Cup, she earned her first senior international cap on March 4, 2017, during a match againstEngland at the2017 SheBelieves Cup.[42] She was named Player of the Match following the team's 1–0 loss.[43]
On June 4, 2024, Lavelle became the 43rd woman to appear in 100 matches for the U.S. Women's National Team, starting in a 3–0 victory overSouth Korea.[44]
In September 2018, Lavelle was named to the national team roster for the2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship, the qualifying tournament for the2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.[45] She appeared in all five games for the U.S. and scored three goals. Her final goal of the tournament was scored in the second minute of the championship game againstCanada, helping the U.S. to a 2–0 victory, and their second straight CONCACAF Championship.[46]
Lavelle started six games for the U.S. at the2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, scored three goals, and was awarded the Bronze Ball at theFIFA Women's World Cup awards as the third best player in the tournament.[47][48][49] During the team's first group stage match againstThailand, Lavelle scored a brace helping the U.S. win 13–0. During the U.S. knockout round match against Spain, she drew a penalty kick that was converted byMegan Rapinoe to seal the team's 2–1 win and advance to the quarterfinals.[50] Lavelle scored the U.S.' second goal in the final against theNetherlands helping the team win 2–0.[51]
Lavelle in a friendly againstParaguay in September 2021
In July 2021, she was named to the roster for the delayed2020 Tokyo Olympics.[54] Lavelle appeared in all six games as the team won the bronze medal, losing to Canada 1–0 in the semi-final before beating Australia 4–3 in the third-place playoff.[55] She scored one goal at the tournament, during a 6–1 group stage win over New Zealand.[56]
Lavelle was named to the national team roster for the2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, though she played limited minutes in the early stages of the tournament due to a knee injury.[57] She appeared as a second-half substitute in the U.S.'s group stage matches against Vietnam and the Netherlands, earning one assist. She played all 90 minutes of the U.S.'s third group stage match but received a yellow card in the first half of the game; since she had also received a yellow card in the previous match, she was suspended from the team's Round of 16 game against Sweden.[58] The U.S. ultimately lost to Sweden in apenalty shootout and was eliminated from the tournament.[59]
Lavelle was selected to the 18-player roster for the2024 Summer Olympics in France.[60] She started in every match with the exception being the gold medal match againstBrazil, when she was an unused substitute.[61] The United States defeated Brazil 1–0 in the final; the lone goal was scored byMallory Swanson.[62]
Lavelle was featured in a television commercial forVisa Inc. in 2019.[65] In 2020, Lavelle was featured in a commercial sponsored bySubway.[66] Lavelle co-starred in a commercial for Icy Hot Dry Spray withShaquille O'Neal andSloane Stephens in 2021.[67]
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Russia
Sweden
Brazil
Trinidad and Tobago
Canada
New Zealand
Thailand
Netherlands
Panama
Mexico
Paraguay
South Korea
Australia
Uzbekistan
Jamaica
Nigeria
Republic of Ireland
Portugal
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata
