Zara Chavoshi

Zara Chavoshi

Chavoshi with Wake Forest in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Zara Sona Chavoshi
Date of birth	(2002-12-06) December 6, 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth	Newark, Delaware, United States
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Orlando Pride
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2021–2024	Wake Forest Demon Deacons	74	(2)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2025–	Orlando Pride	0	(0)
International career‡
2022	Canada U-20	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of August 17, 2022

Zara Sona Chavoshi (born December 6, 2002) is a professional soccer player who plays as a defender for the Orlando Pride of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Born and raised in the United States, she represented Canada at the youth international level. She played college soccer for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Early life and college career

Chavosi was born in Newark, Delaware, and raised in Potomac, Maryland, one of three children born to Soheil and Cindy Tran-Chavoshi. Her father is from Kermanshah, Iran, and her mother is from Cần Thơ, Vietnam. Chavoshi began playing soccer at age five. She attended Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, and played club soccer for McLean Youth Soccer, winning two ECNL championships. ^{[1] [2]}

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Chavoshi played 18 games (all starts) in her freshman season with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in 2021. She played every minute in the postseason as Wake Forest made the semifinals of the ACC tournament, falling to Florida State, and the second round of the NCAA tournament, falling to Michigan. ^[2] In her sophomore season, she played 16 games (14 starts), missing the very start of the season while at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Wake Forest lost to South Carolina in the first round of the NCAA tournament. ^[2] In her junior season, she featured at right back and made 15 appearances (14 starts), helping hold opponents to a program-record-low 15 goals. Wake Forest lost to Clemson in the first round of the ACC tournament and missed the NCAA tournament. ^[2]

Chavoshi started all 24 games and played the most minutes on the team in her final season in 2024, helping Wake Forest achieve one of its best-ever seasons as one of many seniors on the team. Playing at center back alongside Laurel Ansbrow, she helped shut out No. 2 Virginia 3–0 and No. 1 Stanford 1–0, making Wake Forest the first team to beat the top two ranked teams consecutively. She also helped defeat defending national champions Florida State 4–1, ending their 32–game unbeaten streak. ^{[3] [4]} They lost to Florida State on penalties after a 1–1 draw in the semifinals of the ACC tournament. ^[2] In the NCAA tournament, she helped lead Wake Forest to their first national title game in program history, beating Stanford 1–0 in the semifinals before losing 1–0 to North Carolina in the final. ^{[2] [5]} After the season, she was named second-team All-ACC and third-team All-American by TopDrawerSoccer , and fourth-team All-American by United Soccer Coaches. ^[6]

Club career

Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride announced on January 13, 2025, that they had signed Chavoshi on a one-year contract. She was the team's first college signing after the abolition of the college draft. ^{[7] [8]}

International career

Chavoshi received her first call-up to the Canada youth national team in 2022. She was selected to the roster for the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and started one game, a 3–1 loss to Nigeria, as Canada finished bottom of their group. ^[1]

References

1. "Zara Chavoshi". Canadian Soccer Association . Retrieved January 13, 2025.
2. "Zara Chavoshi". Wake Forest Demon Deacons . Retrieved January 13, 2025.
3. Olorunfemi, Victor (December 3, 2024). "Wake Forest's Path to Women's College Cup". TopDrawerSoccer . Retrieved January 13, 2025.
4. "2024 Women's Soccer Cumulative Statistics". Wake Forest Demon Deacons . Retrieved January 13, 2025.
5. Olorunfemi, Victor (December 9, 2024). "College Cup: Women's Final Preview". TopDrawerSoccer . Retrieved January 13, 2025.
6. "2024 Women's DI Postseason Awards". TopDrawerSoccer . December 18, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
7. "Orlando Pride signs defender Zara Chavoshi". Orlando Pride. January 13, 2025. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
8. Rollins, Sean (January 13, 2025). "Orlando Pride Sign Defender Zara Chavoshi to One-Year Deal". The Mane Land. Retrieved January 13, 2025.

External links

• Zara Chavoshi at Soccerway.com