Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Viviana Venezia Villacorta [1] | ||
Date of birth | February 2, 1999 | ||
Place of birth | Torrance, California, United States | ||
Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Orlando Pride | ||
Number | 14 | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2017–2021 | UCLA Bruins | 72 | (7) |
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2016–2019 | Santa Clarita Blue Heat | ||
2021– | Orlando Pride | 31 | (0) |
International career‡ | |||
2016 | United States U18 | ||
2017 | United States U19 | ||
2017–2018 | United States U20 | 17 | (6) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 15, 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of August 13, 2018 |
Viviana Venezia Villacorta (born February 2, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Orlando Pride of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Born in Torrance, California, Villacorta played four years of soccer at Mira Costa High School and earned Bay League first-team honors three times. She won the USYS National Championships in 2015 and 2016 with Cal South ODP teams. [1] Villacorta played four years of club soccer with United Women's Soccer team Santa Clarita Blue Heat, winning the National Championship title in the inaugural 2016 season as well as back to back West conference titles. [2] [3]
Villacorta played four seasons of college soccer at University of California, Los Angeles between 2017 and 2021 while also earning a degree in sociology. As a freshman she played in all 25 games including 15 starts. [1] The team finished second in the Pac-12 conference behind Stanford and qualified for the postseason, reaching the final of the 2017 College Cup before again losing out to their conference rivals. [4] In 2018, Villacorta played in all 22 games, starting all but the season opener, and earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors. [1] She scored four goals in total with her first collegiate career goal coming away at Stanford in a 3–2 defeat. [5] UCLA again finished second in conference play and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament before being eliminated by North Carolina in a penalty shootout. [6] In 2019, Villacorta was an ever-present, starting in all 24 games. She scored three goals as well as a career-high eight assists, earning second-team All-Pac-12 honors for a second consecutive season as UCLA again finished second behind Stanford and reached the semifinals of the postseason, losing 4–1 to Stanford. [1] [7] Villacorta elected to delay her pro career and return in 2021 to contest her senior season despite being drafted in January following the NCAA's offer of a waiver in light of the COVID-19 pandemic that meant draftees were able to remain in college to contest the rescheduled college spring season. [8] [9] [10] Having never missed a game for UCLA since joining as a freshman in 2017, Villacorta suffered an ACL tear 18 minutes into the opening game against Pepperdine on February 7, ending her collegiate career prematurely. [11]
On January 13, 2021, Villacorta was selected in the first round (9th overall) of the 2021 NWSL Draft by Orlando Pride and had originally planned to join the team following the delayed college spring season. [12] [10] After suffering an ACL tear during a college game in February, [11] Villacorta signed a one-year plus option year contract with Orlando on August 6, 2021, and immediately placed on the season-ending injury list. [13] She did not feature during the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup but was named as a substitute in a matchday squad for the first time in the final game on April 23, 2022. She made her professional debut in the next game, as a 72nd-minute substitute in the team's regular season opener, a 3–0 defeat to NJ/NY Gotham FC.
As well as the United States, Villacorta is eligible to represent Peru and El Salvador internationally through her parents. [14]
She has represented the United States at under-18, under-19 and under-20 level. [15] In January 2018, Villacorta was named to the squad for the 2018 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship, making four appearances as the United States finished as runners-up to Mexico. [16] In August she was part of the squad at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup held in France, starting all three group stage games as the team failed to progress after finishing third behind Spain and Japan. [17] In 2019, Villacorta was selected to represent the United States at the 2019 Summer Universiade. [18]
Villacorta's father, Julio, won a state championship with El Camino College's soccer team. She has two older sisters, Vanessa and Veronica, who both played college soccer at UC Merced. [1] [19]
Team | Season | Pac-12 regular season | NCAA Tournament | Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
UCLA Bruins | 2017 | Div. I | 19 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
2018 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 22 | 4 | ||
2019 | 19 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 24 | 3 | ||
2020–21 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
Total | 57 | 5 | 15 | 2 | 72 | 7 |
Club | Season | League | Cup | Playoffs | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Orlando Pride | 2021 | NWSL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
2022 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | |||
2023 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | |||
Career total | 31 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
Santa Clarita Blue Heat
Alexandra Lowe Riley is an American-born New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a defender for Angel City of the American National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), as well as the New Zealand women's national football team. She captains both her club and national teams. As a collegiate athlete, she captained the Stanford soccer team to two NCAA semi-finals and one final.
Amanda Caryl Cromwell is an American professional soccer coach who most recently managed the Orlando Pride in the National Women's Soccer League.
Rachel Moy Quon is an American-Canadian former soccer defender. She played for the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League and for the Canada women's national soccer team.
Megan Leigh Montefusco is an American professional soccer player who plays for Orlando Pride in the National Women's Soccer League. She has been capped internationally at senior level by the United States.
Chioma Grace Ubogagu is an English professional footballer who played as a forward for the England national team. She most recently played for Tottenham Hotspur. She previously played for Orlando Pride, Brisbane Roar, Houston Dash, Arsenal, and Real Madrid. Ubogagu played collegiate soccer for Stanford University and was capped at various youth levels for the United States, winning the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She chose to represent the England national team at the senior level in 2018.
Aline Villares Reis, known as Aline, is a Brazilian professional footballer who most recently played as a goalkeeper for Spanish club UD Granadilla Tenerife in the 2022–23 Liga F season. Between 2016 and 2021 she made 15 appearances for the Brazil national team. She is also a former women's football coach who most recently served as the goalkeeping coach for Orlando Pride in the American National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Ashley Nicole Sanchez is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. She played collegiate soccer for the UCLA Bruins and broke several school records in the three years she played.
Darian Michelle Jenkins is an American retired professional soccer player who played as a forward.
Leah Pruitt is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward.
Chelsee Teresa Washington is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder.
The 2021 Orlando Pride season was Orlando Pride's sixth season in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.
Taylor Jacklyn Kornieck is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for National Women's Soccer League club San Diego Wave FC and the United States national team.
Phoebe Lynch McClernon is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for OL Reign of the NWSL.
Abigail Kofi Kim is a professional soccer player who plays as a forward for French Division 1 Féminine club Bordeaux. Born in Liberia, she has represented the United States internationally up to under-23 level.
Mikayla Shae Cluff is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Utah Royals of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Kaylie Ann Collins is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Western Sydney Wanderers of the A-League Women on loan from Orlando Pride of the NWSL.
Thais Reiss de Araújo is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Orlando Pride of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and has been capped internationally for Brazil at youth level.
Mia Renee Fishel is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Chelsea and United States Women's National Team.
Tori Elizabeth Hansen is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Melbourne Victory of the Australian A-League, on loan from Orlando Pride of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Internationally she has represented the United States at multiple youth levels.
Civana Grace Kuhlmann is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for the Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League.