Allison Leigh Whitworth (born December 11, 1985) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
former professional
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
player and coach who played as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
. Whitworth most recently served as assistant coach for the
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the college athletics, athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA D ...
women's soccer team.
Playing career
College career
She capped her Tiger career by setting a school record with 356 saves, including an
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...
-high of 132 during her senior campaign which still remains an Auburn record. The 356 saves place her third in the SEC league record book. She registered 22 career shutouts, including eight during each of her junior and senior years, tied for eighth in SEC history. She received First Team All-SEC honors thanks in part to her 1.02 goals-against average. This was her second league accolade after picking up a Second Team award the previous season. Whitworth was chosen as a SEC Defensive Player of the Week at least once in each of her last three seasons, culminating with winning the award three times as a senior. She saw action in 73 career matches, posting a 1.13 career goals-against average. After graduating, she became the first Auburn alumni to be drafted into a professional soccer league.
Club career
Whitworth's first season of club soccer came in 2008 at the amateur level with the
Atlanta Silverbacks
The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...
in the
USL W-League USL W-League may refer to:
* USL W League
* USL W-League (1995–2015)
The USL W-League was a North American amateur women's soccer developmental organization. The league was a semi-professional, open league, giving college players the oppor ...
. She amassed a perfect 8–0–0 record with Atlanta during the 2008 USL W-League season, helping propel them to a perfect 13–0–0 record and a playoff berth.
Whitworth was drafted
FC Gold Pride
FC Gold Pride was an American professional women's soccer club based in the San Francisco Bay Area, which participated in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). The club replaced the San Jose CyberRays of the defunct Women's United Soccer Associati ...
Nicole Barnhart
Nicole Renee Barnhart (born October 10, 1981) is an American retired soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. She played professionally for FC Gold Pride and Philadelphia Independence in Women's Professional Soccer, and FC Kansas City, Utah ...
during the
2009 WPS season
The 2009 Women's Professional Soccer season served as the inaugural season for WPS, the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. The regular season began on March 29 and ended on August 9, with the postseason being held ...
. Her first start came on May 24 in a loss to LA Sol. Whitworth saw an improved result when she faced LA Sol next, earning shutout on July 23. Whitworth earned the first win of her professional career against the Washington Freedom on August 1. Over the season she appeared in four matches, allowing five goals and keeping one clean sheet.
Following the 2009 season she was traded on October 29, 2009, sent along with the 23rd pick in the
2010 WPS Draft
The 2010 WPS College Draft took place on January 15, 2010. It was the second college draft held by Women's Professional Soccer to assign the WPS rights of college players to the American-based teams.
FormatAtlanta Beat for the 10th and 12th picks in the same draft. This trade saw Whitworth return to play soccer in Atlanta just a couple years after featuring for the W-League's Silverbacks.
In 2010 she started three games for the Atlanta Beat, making 22 saves on 29 shots (76% save percentage). On June 18, 2010, Whitworth was traded to the
Chicago Red Stars
Chicago Stars Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in the Chicago metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league as the Chic ...
after Chicago's
Kelsey Davis
Kelsey Laine Davis (born May 14, 1987) is an American soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to ...
suffered a season-ending injury. She started one game for Chicago, on July 10, making two saves to earn a shut out for the Red Stars against the defending WPS champions Sky Blue FC.
In 2011 Witworth returned to the Atlanta Beat by the Red Stars, and started eleven matches for the Beat in what was ultimately the final WPS season as well as the final for the Beat as a club. She was nominated for goalkeeper of the year following the conclusion of the regular season.
Coaching career
Whitworth began her coaching career at
Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a Public university, public research university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as ...
where she was an assistant for two seasons in 2011 and 2012. The Blue Raiders went 24–14–1 and recorded 14 shutouts along with claiming a 2012
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that has been affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football confe ...
regular-season championship. Whitworth spent the next 3 years as the goalkeeper coach and recruit coordinator at
Ohio University
Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...
Spring Hill College
Spring Hill College is a private Jesuit college in Mobile, Alabama. It was founded in 1830 by Bishop Michael Portier of Mobile. Along with being the oldest private college or university in the state of Alabama, it was the first Catholic college ...
spanning the 2016, 2017, and 2018 seasons. She amassed a record of 2 wins, 46 losses and 4 draws. After leaving Spring Hill, Whitworth volunteered to train the goalkeepers at
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...