Leah Klenke

Last updated

Leah Klenke
Notre Dame vs Duke (2025 ACC tournament) 15 (Klenke).jpg
Klenke with Notre Dame in 2025
Personal information
Full name Leah Michelle Klenke [1]
Date of birth (2004-06-21) June 21, 2004 (age 21) [2]
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) [2]
Position Left back
Team information
Current team
 Houston Dash
Number 4
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2022–2025 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 78 (5)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2026– Houston Dash 4 (0)
International career‡
2023–2024 United States U-20 18 (0)
2026– United States U-23 3 (0)
Medal record
Women's soccer
FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg Colombia 2024
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of March 14, 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 14:11, March 8, 2026 (UTC)

Leah Michelle Klenke (born June 21, 2004) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a left back for the Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, earning first-team All-American honors in 2025. She won bronze with the United States at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

Contents

Early life

Klenke grew up in Houston, Texas, the daughter of parents who attended the University of Notre Dame. [3] She attended Saint Agnes Academy, a Dominican girls' school, where she was part of the soccer, track and field, and cross country teams. [3] She was named first-team all-state and won TAPPS state titles in all three sports, [3] including the 800 meter, 1600 meter, and 3200 meter triple crown in 2021. [4] She played club soccer for the Albion Hurricanes, earning multiple ECNL all-conference honors. [3] She committed to Notre Dame as a freshman. [5]

College career

Klenke started 78 games and scored 5 goals for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 2022 to 2025. [3] Recruited as a left wingback, she was also used as a center back by head coach Nate Norman. [6] In 2022, as a freshman, she joined upperclassmen Eva Gaetino and Waniya Hudson on the back line, helping the Irish lead the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in shutout percentage. [3] The team reached the ACC tournament semifinals and earned a one seed in the NCAA tournament, making the quarterfinals. [3] Klenke was named to the ACC all-freshman team and ranked by TopDrawerSoccer as the seventh-best freshman in the country. [7] In 2023, she led the Irish with 10 assists (fourth in the ACC) to finish second in the conference standings, earning second-team All-ACC honors. [3] After missing about a month while at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, she was named first-team All-ACC as a junior and helped the Irish to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals in 2024. [3] In 2025, she again helped the Irish to second in the ACC standings and reached a program first ACC tournament final. [8] Notre Dame earned the overall top seed in the NCAA tournament but were upset in the second round. [3] Klenke was named first-team All-ACC for the second time and earned first-team All-American recognition. [3]

Club career

Hometown club Houston Dash announced on January 8, 2026, that they had signed Klenke to her first professional contract on a three-year deal. [9] She made her professional debut in the season opener on March 14, playing the entire match in a 1–0 win over the San Diego Wave. [10]

International career

Klenke was called into training camp with the United States under-14 team in 2018. [11] She was next called into a combined under-18/under-19 camp in early 2023. [12] Later that year, she played at the 2023 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship, where the United States U-20s secured qualification for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. [13] She appeared as a substitute for right back Gisele Thompson in every match at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, helping the United States finish in third place, its best result since 2012. [14] [15] She converted her penalty kick in a shootout win over Germany in the quarterfinals. [14]

Honors and awards

United States U-20

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Colombia 2024 Squad Lists" (PDF). FIFA. p. 23. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Leah Klenke". United States Soccer Federation . Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Leah Klenke". Notre Dame Fighting Irish . Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  4. ↑ Grundy, William (April 28, 2021). "Leah Klenke Shoots For Triple At TAPPS 6A Championships". MileSplit Texas . Retrieved August 2, 2024.
    Grundy, William (March 29, 2022). "Two Sport Star Leah Klenke Aspires To Be Her Best". MileSplit Texas . Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  5. ↑ Shealer, Sheldon (September 4, 2018). "Recruiting Roundup: Sept. 3-9". TopDrawerSoccer . Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  6. ↑ Post, J.J. (November 2, 2023). "Leading by example, Leah Klenke looks to help 'dream school' Notre Dame in the postseason". The Observer . Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  7. ↑ "College Soccer Player Rankings - Freshman". TopDrawerSoccer . Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Stanford Claims 2025 Ally ACC Women's Soccer Championship". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. November 9, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Houston Native and Notre Dame Defender Leah Klenke Joins Houston Dash". Houston Dash. January 8, 2026. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Houston Dash Open 2026 Season with Shutout Victory on the Road". Houston Dash. February 15, 2026. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  11. ↑ "U14 GNT heads to camp in Chula Vista". United States Soccer Federation. May 25, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2024– via TopDrawerSoccer .
  12. ↑ "U18/19 WNT Camp Roster Named for California". United States Soccer Federation. January 10, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2024– via TopDrawerSoccer .
  13. ↑ "U.S. U20 WNT Qualifies for World Cup". United States Soccer Federation. June 3, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2024– via TopDrawerSoccer .
  14. 1 2 "Leah Klenke: The Ultimate Team Player". United States Soccer Federation. September 17, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  15. ↑ "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.
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