| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sara Eve Hess | ||
| Birth name | Sara Eve Whalen[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1976-04-28)April 28, 1976 (age 49) | ||
| Place of birth | Natick, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1997 | Connecticut Huskies | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–1999 | Long Island Lady Riders | ||
| 2001–2002 | New York Power | 31 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 1997–2000 | United States | 65 | (7) |
Medal record | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Sara Eve Hess (née Whalen; born April 28, 1976) is a retired American professional Olympic medalist soccer player. Whalen played for theUnited States Women's National Soccer Team from 1997 to 2000, won an Olympicsilver medal with the team, and was a founding player ofWomen's United Soccer Association (WUSA).[2]
Born inNatick, Massachusetts, to John and Linda Whalen, Sara was raised inGreenlawn, New York, with her sister Deborah, and is Jewish.[3][1][4][5][6] She attendedHarborfields High School in her hometown, where she played varsity soccer, basketball, and track as a sprinter.
Whalen graduated from theUniversity of Connecticut with a degree in psychology. She received her master's degree in psychology fromFordham University, and her doctorate fromFairleigh Dickinson University.[7][1][8]
At the University of Connecticut she was a defender and forward for theirHuskies women's soccer team. While playing soccer for Connecticut, Whalen was a three-timeAll-American and was the 1997NSCAA Division 1 National Player of the Year, as well as being named toSoccer America's Collegiate Team of the Decade for the 1990s.[9] She scored both goals in the 1997NCAA Final Four semifinal match against Notre Dame, as Connecticut won 2–1 to record one of the biggest upsets in NCAA women's soccer history by defeating the previously unbeaten Irish.[10] Whalen was the 1995 and 1996Big East Defensive Player of the Year, before playing striker her senior season where she recorded 21 goals and 22 assists to lead her team in scoring.[1] In her final season at UConn, Whalen was named Hermann andM.A.C. Trophy finalists. She also won theHonda Sports Award as the nation's top soccer player.[11][12] She finished her college career with 23 goals and 43 assists. They retired her No. 8 jersey.
In 1997, Whalen began her career for theUnited States women's national soccer team as an outside defender. She earned her first cap against France, while still in college. The following year, 1998, Whalen had a very successful season scoring two goals and garnering three assists.[1] Her role on the team was constantly redefined. She usually appeared as a late game substitute to add attacking speed from a wild midfield post. Because of her versatility, she could either increase the attacking pressure or function as a defensive midfielder as the game situation demands.
In 1999, Whalen helped the US Women's National Team win the 1999FIFA Women's World Cup. This group is famously dubbed the "99er's"; each player helped change the face of women's sports forever. The World Cup was hosted in the United States in various stadiums including theRose Bowl,Soldier Field, andSanford Stadium. In the final game against China, neither side had scored and the game moved from extra time topenalty kicks. Whalen played every minute of extra-time in the final against China. Although she did not take a penalty kick, Whalen was the first to run up toBrandi Chastain after she secured the victory for the United States. Both were featured on the cover ofTime Magazine and today it is still one of the most iconic images in sports history.
The following year, Whalen won asilver medal as a part of the US Women's Team at the2000 Sydney Olympics. They lost to Norway in the final game 3–2.[13][14][15]
From 1997 through 1999, Whalen played for the club team theLong Island Lady Riders. In 1997, Whalen helped the Riders win theUSL W-League Champions. In 1998, she returned to play for the Lady Riders but due to her commitment to the Women's National Team she was not able to return until after the World Cup. From 2001 through 2002, Whalen played for theNew York Power where she made 31 appearances. Her season was cut short due to injury.
In 2001, Whalen was a founding player of theWomen's United Soccer Association, playing alongside US teammatesChristie Pearce andTiffeny Milbrett for the New York Power. This was the world's first women's soccer league in which all of the players were paid as professionals. Whalen was one of the 20 founding players; a lot of which players were a part of the 1999 World Cup team includingMia Hamm,Kristine Lilly, andMichelle Akers.[16]
On June 26, 2002, in a game against theCarolina Courage, Whalen tore herACL andMCL in a collision with German internationalBirgit Prinz. This occurred just after recovering from a broken rib. Whalen had surgery, but noticed her knee was infected shortly thereafter. During her second surgery Whalen had a severe allergic reaction, nearly dying.[17] The doctors realized that the infection was in one of the screws, within the ligament of her knee, which had to be removed. Whalen had to go through seven surgeries, including moving ligaments from her right to left knee, to repair her injury.[17] This marked the end of her professional soccer career. During this injury time, she descended into a very dark place and questioned if she wanted to continue living. She felt that she had to grieve a life that she was leaving behind. She felt so much pain she stated, "your body can only sustain so much pain. It was like, ‘Just f****** end it. I can’t deal with this anymore.’” Her husband, Jon stated, "It's more than just playing soccer. You lose that sense of purpose." She was slowly able to piece back her life together and she used her education to sustain herself. It was a way for Whalen to occupy her time with something other than rehab on her knee. She was worrisome that she would not be good at a job in the psychology field because of all the trauma she endured. She was able to feel like she got some ownership back in her story and feels like her story helps her with her job. In 2004, after numerous leg surgeries she was able to run theNew York Marathon in 4 hours 19 minutes and 38 seconds. After this event, she felt that she truly regained control of her narrative.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | June 23, 2000 | Hersheypark Stadium,Hershey,United States |  Trinidad and Tobago | 10–0 | 11–0 | 2000 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup |
| 2. | 11–0 | |||||
| 3. | June 25, 2000 | Cardinal Stadium,Louisville, United States |  Costa Rica | 8–0 | 8–0 |
Whalen lives in New York with her husband, Jon Hess, aNASDAQ trader and formerPrinceton University lacrosse player, and their three children. She is now a licensed psychologist andcognitive behavioral therapist.
Looking back on her time at the World Cup and with the Women's National Team she says, "we have some piece of history that will never change and that we all feel really incredible about having in our back pocket. Whether we're playing soccer or coaching or aren't doing anything related to soccer, its still a part of our identity which is really, really special." She continues, "because of how much media plays a role in everything now, it's actually very difficult to be very humble because you sort of have to be an image, and you have to market yourself. I think it was a more enjoyable time to play then, maybe because we didn't have that concern. We were just wanting to win. We didn't have to look a certain way or be a certain thing, which was very much a blessing."
Whalen was inducted into theSuffolk Sports Hall of Fame onLong Island in the Soccer Category with the Class of 2001.
United States squads | |||||||
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