Heather Gilchrist

Last updated

Heather Gilchrist
UNC vs FSU (Sep 2025) 15 (cropped).jpg
Gilchrist with Florida State in 2025
Personal information
Full name Heather Suzanne Gilchrist [1]
Date of birth (2004-03-04) March 4, 2004 (age 21) [1]
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) [2]
Position Center back
Team information
Current team
 Bay FC
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2022–2025 Florida State Seminoles 81 (5)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2026– Bay FC 0 (0)
International career‡
2024 United States U-20 12 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of December 23, 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of September 21, 2024

Heather Suzanne Gilchrist (born March 4, 2004) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center back for Bay FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Florida State Seminoles, winning the 2023 and 2025 national championships and earning All-American honors twice. She won bronze with the United States at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

Contents

Early life

Gilchrist grew up in Boulder, Colorado, the daughter of Anne and Anthony Gilchrist. Her parents played college sports at Cornell University, her mother in equestrian and her father in tennis. Gilchrist played club soccer for Colorado Rush in the ECNL and the Colorado Rapids in the WPSL. She attended Fairview High School. [2] She initially committed to play college soccer for Oregon, but after its head coach resigned, she flipped her commitment to Florida State. [3] [4]

College career

Gilchrist was an immediate starter for the Florida State Seminoles as a freshman in 2022, earning Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) all-freshman honors. She helped the Seminoles reach the NCAA tournament semifinals, where she conceded a penalty in the 3–2 loss to North Carolina. [2] [5] She then contributed to Florida State's undefeated season and fourth national title in her sophomore year in 2023. She played every minute in the NCAA tournament, allowing just one goal in six games. She earned an assist on the opening goal in the 2–0 semifinal win over Clemson, then won 5–1 against Stanford in the final. [2] [6]

Despite missing about a month while at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, Gilchrist earned third-team All-ACC and fourth-team All-American honors as a junior in 2024. [2] [7] She helped the Seminoles win their fifth consecutive ACC tournament title but lost to Vanderbilt on penalties in the NCAA tournament second round, though she made hers. [2] [8] After graduating early, she returned for a fourth season and led the Seminoles to their fifth national title as a graduate student in 2025. [9] [10] She scored a career-high four goals including the lone goal against Lipscomb in the NCAA tournament second round. [11] She was involved in penalty scares in both the 1–0 semifinal win against TCU and the 1–0 win over Stanford in the final, but neither possible foul was awarded on review. [12] [13] She was named third-team All-ACC and third-team All-American and included in the NCAA all-tournament team. [2] [10]

Club career

Bay FC announced on December 23, 2025, that the club had signed Gilchrist to her first professional contract on a three-year deal, reuniting her with Seminoles teammate Taylor Huff. [14]

International career

Gilchrist was called into training camp with the United States youth national team with the combined under-18/under-19 squad and the under-20 team in 2023. [15] [16] She appeared for the under-20 team throughout 2024 and was selected to the roster for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. [17] She started five of seven games at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, helping the United States finish in third place, its best result since 2012. [18] [19] She was called up by Emma Hayes into Futures Camp, practicing alongside the senior national team, in January 2025. [20]

Honors and awards

Florida State Seminoles

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 "FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Colombia 2024 Squad Lists" (PDF). FIFA. p. 23. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Heather Gilchrist". Florida State Seminoles . Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  3. ↑ Sheng, Kristen. "Heather Gilchrist". The Royal Banner (Fairview student newspaper). Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  4. ↑ Clark, Travis (October 5, 2020). "SIMA Recruiting Roundup: October 5–11". TopDrawerSoccer . Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  5. ↑ "North Carolina, UCLA win, advance to NCAA College Cup final". Associated Press. December 2, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2024– via ESPN.
  6. ↑ Kassim, Ehsan (December 4, 2023). "Game recap: FSU soccer dominates Stanford 5-1 to claim NCAA Women's Soccer Championship". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved September 4, 2024.
    "Stanford, FSU to meet for women's soccer title in battle of unbeatens". ESPN. December 1, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Four Seminoles Named to United States U-20 Women's World Cup Roster". Florida State Seminoles. August 8, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  8. ↑ Joffer, Prince Akeem (November 23, 2024). "FSU soccer falls in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Vanderbilt". Tomahawk Nation. SB Nation . Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  9. ↑ Coffey, Wayne (March 13, 2025). "How an influx of elite youth players to NWSL is impacting the college soccer landscape". The Athletic . Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Nee, Chris (December 8, 2025). "Fifth-Star Performance: FSU Soccer earns their fifth National Championship due to Hudson's goal, Ockene's play". 247Sports . Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  11. ↑ Rooney, Liam (November 20, 2025). "Heather Gilchrist's goal lifts FSU soccer past Lipscomb in NCAA tournament" . Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  12. ↑ Sperry, Daniel (December 5, 2025). "TCU women's soccer can't conjure late magic again, falls in national semifinals" . Fort Worth Star-Telegram . Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  13. ↑ Joffer, Prince Akeem (December 8, 2025). "FSU soccer beats Stanford in thriller to claim fifth national championship". Tomahawk Nation. SB Nation . Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Bay FC Signs Two-Time NCAA Champion, Two-Time All-American Defender Heather Gilchrist to First Professional Contract". Bay FC. December 23, 2025. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  15. ↑ "U18/19 WNT Camp Roster Named for California". United States Soccer Federation. January 10, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2024– via TopDrawerSoccer .
  16. ↑ "U20, U18/19 Rosters Announced for NC Camps". United States Soccer Federation. April 4, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2024– via TopDrawerSoccer .
  17. ↑ Oliaro, Jack (August 8, 2024). "Four Seminoles Named to United States U-20 Women's World Cup Roster". Florida State Seminoles . Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  18. ↑ Heather Gilchrist at Soccerway OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  19. ↑ "USA Scores Dramatic 119th-Minute Game-Winner To Defeat The Netherlands 2-1 And Finish Third At 2024 FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup". United States Soccer Federation. September 22, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Emma Hayes Names 24 Players to the 2025 Futures Camp Which Will Run Concurrently With USWNT Training Camp in Los Angeles". United States Soccer Federation. January 8, 2025. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
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