Ellie Walbruch

Last updated

Ellie Walbruch
Ellie Walbruch Utah United 2025.png
Walbruch with Utah United in 2025
Personal information
Full name Ellie Louise Walbruch
Date of birth (2004-05-25) May 25, 2004 (age 21)
Place of birth Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 BYU Cougars
Number 15
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2022 UCLA Bruins 13 (1)
2023– BYU Cougars 44 (22)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2025 Utah United 6 (5)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ellie Louise Walbruch (born May 25, 2004) is an American college soccer player who plays as a forward for the BYU Cougars. She previously played for the UCLA Bruins, winning the 2022 national championship as a freshman.

Contents

Early life

Born in Denver, Colorado, Walbruch grew up in Highland, Utah. [1] She began playing soccer as a four-year-old coached by her father. [2] When she was ten, her family attended the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, leading her to want to pursue soccer as a career. [2] She played for Utah Celtic before moving to the DA's La Roca. [2] [3] She committed to UCLA during her freshman year at American Fork High School over offers from BYU, Stanford, Texas, Notre Dame, Oregon, North Carolina, and others. [2] [4] She was named ECNL all-conference with both La Roca and Real Colorado. [5] [6] She was ranked by TopDrawerSoccer as the No. 16 prospect of the 2022 class, part of UCLA's second-ranked incoming class. [7]

College career

Walbruch enrolled early at the University of California, Los Angeles, in the spring of 2022. [8] Under new head coach Margueritte Aozasa, she scored 1 goals in 13 appearances as a substitute during her freshman season. [1] [3] She was part of the UCLA Bruins team that won the program's second NCAA title, although she was unused in the NCAA tournament. [1] [9]

Walbruch returned to her home state as a sophomore transferring to the BYU Cougars under Jennifer Rockwood. [3] She was BYU's third leading scorer in 2023 with 11 goals and 4 assists in 26 games despite primarily playing off the bench. [10] She was named second-team All-Big 12 and helped the team reach the NCAA tournament semifinals. [11] In the spring of 2024, she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during an exhibition game and missed her entire junior season. [11] She returned to action with Utah United in the USL W League in the summer of 2025, earning the USL W final MVP award after setting up two goals against the North Carolina Courage U23 in the championship game. [11] [12]

Personal life

Walbruch is the daughter of Matt and Emily Walbruch and has three siblings. [13] Her parents met at the University of Denver, where her father played soccer and her mother played basketball. [2]

Honors and awards

UCLA Bruins

Utah United

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ellie Walbruch". UCLA Bruins . Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Dickson, Darnell (July 4, 2019). "Highland's Ellie Walbruch has big soccer dreams". Daily Herald . Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Walker, Sean (January 3, 2023). "National champion comes home: BYU's Ellie Walbruch on transfer from UCLA, competing in the Big 12, and NIL in college sports". Salt City Soccer. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  4. ↑ Dickson, Darnell (November 11, 2021). "Walbruch makes dream come true, signs with UCLA soccer". Daily Herald . Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  5. ↑ "ECNL All Conference Northwest". Elite Clubs National League. August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2025– via TopDrawerSoccer .
  6. ↑ "ECNL Girls Northwest All-Conference Teams". Elite Clubs National League. August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2025– via TopDrawerSoccer .
  7. ↑ Clark, Travis (August 16, 2022). "Final 2022 Women's DI Recruiting Rankings". TopDrawerSoccer . Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  8. ↑ Schmitz, Cecilia (September 16, 2022). "Ten freshmen set high expectations for UCLA women's soccer in 2022". Daily Bruin . Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  9. 1 2 Walker, Sean (January 3, 2023). "Cougar Beat podcast: Why a national champ came 'home' to BYU women's soccer". KSL.com . Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Women's Soccer 2023 Cumulative Statistics". BYU Cougars . Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Walker, Sean (August 14, 2025). "She's back: Ellie Walbruch brings leadership role in return to BYU women's soccer". KSL.com . Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  12. 1 2 3 Walker, Sean (July 19, 2025). "Franchise first: Utah college soccer stars cap inaugural season with national title". KSL.com . Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Ellie Walbruch". BYU Cougars . Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  14. ↑ "2025 All-Big 12 Soccer Awards Announced". Big 12 Conference. November 4, 2025. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
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