« Women’s Soccer 2014

Abby Dahlkemper

School
UCLA
Position
Defender
Major
Sociology

Classroom

Abby is set to graduate early in Fall 2014 with a degree in Sociology. Last season, she was named the NSCAA Scholar All-America Player of the Year and received Capital One Academic All-District second-team honors. She is also a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic honoree.

Character

UCLA coaches have always lauded her as one who leads by example, and there are few finer examples than a player who has earned All-America honors every year since her freshman year and who became the school’s first-ever Honda Award winner for soccer. She is known as a competitor who consistently puts in the hard work, and she has taken an active leadership role among the team.

Community

Abby has participated in community service activities such as speaking with elementary and middle school students, soccer clinics, Bruin Pen Pals, I’m Going to College and more. In high school, she organized fundraisers to help provide shoes for children in Africa.

Competition

Abby led UCLA to its first-ever NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship in 2013, anchoring a defense that allowed just eight goals all season and posted a national-best team goals against average of 0.30. She made history by becoming UCLA’s first-ever Honda Award winner for soccer, and she was also a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, becoming the first defender in 10 years to be honored as such. Abby is a three-time NSCAA All-American and first-team NSCAA All-Pacific Region and All-Pac-12 honoree. With Abby guarding the back line, UCLA posted 18 shutouts in 2013, including five of six opponents in the NCAA Tournament. She finished the year ranked second on the team in minutes played (2,194) and contributed one goal and two assists from her center back position. She is also a member of the U.S. Under-23 National Team and a two-time USL W-League champion with the LA Blues.