Powerhouse Goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury: Dominating NWSL and US National Soccer:
Aubrey Renee Kingsbury (formerly known as Bledsoe) was born on November 20, 1991, in Cincinnati, and she is a talented American professional soccer player.
She currently plays as a goalkeeper for the Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and represents the United States national soccer team.
Aubrey’s journey in soccer began during her time at St. Ursula Academy, where she was a vital member of the state championship soccer team in both 2007 and 2008.
After high school, she pursued higher education at Wake Forest University, where she graduated with a degree in health and exercise science, along with minors in chemistry and biology.
Throughout her four seasons with the Demon Deacons, Aubrey demonstrated exceptional skills, starting all her games and earning the honor of being named co-captain during her senior year.
Her time at Wake Forest was marked by setting impressive records, such as holding the career record for shutouts (33), goals against average (0.91), games played and started (94), and minutes played in goal (8,692).
Furthermore, Aubrey became one of three Demon Deacons to receive the All-American title three times, earning third-team honors from the NSCAA in 2011 and 2012, and second-team honors in 2013.
Aubrey’s professional club career kicked off when she signed with the Los Angeles Blues (previously known as “Pali Blues”) in the USL W-League in January 2014.
She then moved to Norway to play for Toppserien club IK Grand Bodø in 2014. In October 2014, she joined Sky Blue FC as a discovery player, primarily serving as a backup goalkeeper.
During the 2015-2016 offseason, she secured a loan to play for Danish club Fortuna Hjørring of the Elitedivisionen, participating in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Orlando Pride selected Aubrey in the NWSL expansion draft in November 2015.
She made sporadic appearances during the 2016 season but took on a more prominent role in 2017 due to an injury to the starting goalkeeper, Ashlyn Harris.
Following this, she had a loan spell at Sydney FC in the W-League during the 2017-2018 season.
A significant career move occurred in January 2018, when Aubrey was traded to the Washington Spirit from Orlando Pride.
During her time with Washington, she received numerous accolades, including being named the NWSL Player of the Week for Weeks 11 and 12 and breaking the NWSL league record for saves.
Aubrey’s consistency and exceptional performances earned her the title of NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year in 2019 and 2021.
Aubrey received her first call-up to the United States national team on the international stage in October 2019.
Since then, she has been named to various training camp rosters and represented the team in several matches.
Off the field, Aubrey Kingsbury shares a special bond with her twin sister, Amber Bledsoe, who is also a goalkeeper and attended Brown University.
In December 2021, Aubrey married Matt Kingsbury and began playing under her married name from January 2022 onwards.
Throughout her career, Aubrey has earned several honors and championships.
This includes winning the W-League Championship with Sydney FC in 2018-2019 and clinching the NWSL Championship with the Washington Spirit in 2021.
Additionally, she was part of the United States team that won the CONCACAF Women’s Championship and the SheBelieves Cup in 2022.
Individually, she has been recognized as the NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year in 2019 and 2021, featured in the NWSL First XI in 2019, and awarded the NWSL Player of the Week on multiple occasions.
In conclusion, Aubrey Renee Kingsbury is a highly accomplished and talented soccer player whose dedication to the sport and exceptional goalkeeping abilities have made her a force to be reckoned with in the NWSL and on the international stage.