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Jenna Rae Winebrenner (born March 1, 1999)[3] is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the TCU Horned Frogs. She was selected by the Kansas City Current in the 2022 NWSL Draft. She served as an assistant coach for the Kansas City Comets of the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) in 2022–23.

Early life

Winebrenner grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, the younger of two children born to Eric and Lisa Winebrenner.[1] She began playing soccer at age three.[4] She played high school soccer at Park Hill High School, winning three consecutive Kansas City Suburban Red Conference titles, and also competed in basketball and cross country.[1] She was named second-team all-state in 2014 and 2015 and first-team all-state in 2016 and 2017.[1][5]

College career

Winebrenner played four seasons at the University of Notre Dame from 2017 to 2020, regularly starting from her sophomore season.[1] She then transferred to Texas Christian University, where she led the Horned Frogs to win the 2021 Big 12 tournament as the tournament's defensive most valuable player and was named to the All-Big 12 first team.[6] She assisted on three game winners that season, including once to Messiah Bright in the Big 12 semifinals and another time in the first round of the 2021 NCAA tournament, where they reached the round of sixteen.[6][7] While in college, she began coaching girls' soccer teams when home in Kansas City.[7]

Club career

Kansas City Current, 2022–2023

The Kansas City Current selected Winebrenner 41st overall in the fourth round of the 2022 NWSL Draft (as predicted by TopDrawerSoccer).[8][9] The team signed her to a one-year contract with a one-year option.[10] She made eleven appearances and six starts as a rookie, and the Current reached the 2022 NWSL Championship final.[11]

Following her rookie season, Winebrenner was hired as an assistant coach for the Kansas City Comets of the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL), becoming the first female coach in MASL history.[11][12] She knew Comets coach Leo Gibson and assistant coach Stefan Stokic from her youth soccer days.[12][13] Her duties included analyzing game film and scrimmaging with the men in practice.[4][12] She said the opportunity to train with the indoor team was "an ideal situation for the offseason".[4]

The Current exercised Winebrenner's contract option for the 2023 season.[14] She made eight appearances and five starts.[15]

North Carolina Courage, 2024–

Winebrenner signed a one-year injury replacement contract with the North Carolina Courage after training with the team in the 2024 preseason.[16]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Jenna Winebrenner". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. July 9, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  2. ^ "Jenna Winebrenner". North Carolina Courage. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  3. ^ "J. Winebrenner". Soccerway. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Lewis, Michael (January 14, 2023). "She Never Intended to Make History". Major Arena Soccer League. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  5. ^ "2017 Girls Class 4 All-State". Missouri High School Soccer Coaches Association. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Jenna Winebrenner – Women's Soccer". TCU Athletics. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Green, PJ (May 6, 2022). "Park Hill alum Jenna Winebrenner finding stride in rookie year with KC Current". FOX 4 KC. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  8. ^ "Winebrenner Drafted By The KC Current". TCU Athletics. December 18, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  9. ^ "2022 NWSL Four Round Mock Draft". TopDrawerSoccer. December 16, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "Kansas City Current Announces Roster, Agree to Contracts With 2022 NWSL Draft Class". Kansas City Current. March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Richmire, Pete (November 22, 2022). "MASL's First Female Coach, Jenna Winebrenner Joins Comets Staff". Kansas City Comets. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Sperry, Daniel (December 10, 2022). "This KC Current player helps coach the Comets men's team. That's a 1st for their league". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022.
  13. ^ Cobb, Tanner (December 13, 2022). "Winebrenner comes home, gives back to KC soccer community". The Platte County Citizen. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  14. ^ "Kansas City Current 2023 Roster Update". Kansas City Current. November 15, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  15. ^ "Jenna Winebrenner Stats". fbref.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  16. ^ "2024 Start-of-Season Roster". North Carolina Courage. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.

External links

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenna_Winebrenner