Jennifer Ann Nielsen (; born September 5, 1974) is an American retired

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 ...

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

who is an assistant coach for

NJ/NY Gotham FC Gotham Football Club is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in the New York metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sk ...

of the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

(NWSL). She made 23 appearances for the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

from 1992 to 2001.

Life

Born in

Chula Vista, California Chula Vista ( ; , ) is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. It is the second-most populous city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the Largest cities in Southern California, seventh-most populous city in Southern California ...

, Lalor attended

Bonita Vista High School Bonita Vista High School (BVH) is a public four-year high school in Chula Vista, California. It is part of Sweetwater Union High School District, and offers both Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate The International Bacca ...

and helped the soccer team to two undefeated seasons and clinch two Metro League titles. She opted not to play high school soccer during her junior and senior years and instead played for the Southern California Blues club team.

Santa Clara University

Lalor attended

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

, where she played for the

Broncos A bucking horse is any breed of horse, male or female, with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock. The harder they buck, the more desirable they are for ro ...

from 1992 to 1996. In 1994, she led the team in assists with 20. She was named to the NSCAA All-American team in 1993, 1994 and 1996. Lalor played in two Final Fours with the Broncos and led the nation in assists in 1994 and 1996. She was a finalist for the Missouri Athletic Club Award and

Hermann Trophy The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top men's and women's college soccer players. History In 1967, Bob Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and th ...

in 1993 and 1994. Lalor was the first player to ever receive a full scholarship for soccer to Santa Clara. She was inducted into the Santa Clara Hall of Fame in 2008.

Playing career

Club

From 1997 to 1998, Lalor played professionally in Japan for Shiroka Serena. In 1998, she played in Denmark for FB. In 1999, she played for Swedish club, Hammarby.

WUSA

Lalor was selected in the second round of the WUSA Inaugural Draft by the

New York Power The New York Power was an American professional soccer team that played in the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), the first professional soccer league for women in the United States. The team played at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale ...

. She played for the Power from 2001 to 2002. In 2003, she played for the

San Diego Spirit The San Diego Spirit were a professional soccer team based in San Diego, California, that competed in the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA). The team played its home games at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego. Th ...

International

Lalor was a member of the

United States women's national soccer team The United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) represents the United States in international women's soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF (the Confederation of North, Central Ameri ...

player pool from 1987 to 1995. Her first appearance for the senior team occurred on August 18, 1992 in a match against Norway. She scored her first goal on August 13, 1994 during a match against Mexico. She previously represented the United States on the U-16, U-19, U-20 levels. From 1987 to 1991, she played for the U.S. Under-16 and Under-19 National Team. In 1993, she competed with the U-20 National team in France, when the team won the International Women's Tournament. In 1995, she was part of the team that took home bronze at the Women's World Cup in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. She returned to the national team player pool in 2001. In 2012, she was nominated for entry into the

National Soccer Hall of Fame The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a public-private partnership among FC Dallas, the City of Frisco, Frisco Independent School District, and the U.S. Soccer Federation, and currently located in Toyota Stadium (Texas), Toyota Stadium in Frisco, T ...

Coaching career

On February 15, 2023, Lalor was appointed as an assistant coach for

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lalor, Jennifer Living people 1972 births United States women's international soccer players Women's association football midfielders Santa Clara Broncos women's soccer players 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup players Hammarby Fotboll (women) players Damallsvenskan players Women's United Soccer Association players San Diego Spirit players New York Power players Shiroki FC Serena players Expatriate women's footballers in Japan Expatriate women's footballers in Sweden Nadeshiko League players American expatriate women's soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Sweden American expatriate sportspeople in Japan American soccer coaches American women's soccer players Female association football managers Gotham FC non-playing staff Bonita Vista High School alumni 20th-century American sportswomen