Stephanie Cox facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Stephanie Renee Cox | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Stephanie Renee Lopez | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | April 3, 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Los Gatos, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Puget Sound Loggers (interim head coach) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Elk Grove Pride | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2007 | Portland Pilots | 74 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Los Angeles Sol | 19 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Boston Breakers | 34 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Seattle Sounders Women | 12 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Seattle Reign FC | 45 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | OL Reign | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | United States U-14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | United States U-17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2006 | United States U-19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | United States U-21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2014 | United States | 89 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Puget Sound Loggers (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2019 | Gig Harbor HS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Seattle Reign FC (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Reign FC (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Puget Sound Loggers (head) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of June 1, 2019 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of September 14, 2014 |
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Stephanie Renee Cox, born on April 3, 1986, is an American soccer coach and a former professional player. She played as a defender, which is a player who helps protect the goal. Stephanie is currently the head coach for the Puget Sound Loggers women's soccer team.
As a player, Stephanie Cox was a key defender for the United States women's national soccer team. She achieved a major success by winning an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Contents
Early Life and High School Success
Stephanie Cox grew up in Elk Grove, California. She went to Elk Grove High School. There, she helped her soccer team win two league championships. She was chosen for the all-section team in her junior and senior years. Stephanie also received the youth All-American award from NSCAA. She was even named a Parade Magazine All-American. Besides soccer, she played basketball for three years. Stephanie was also a great student, graduating with a 4.17 GPA.
College Years at the University of Portland
Stephanie Cox attended the University of Portland. In her first year, she started in 23 soccer matches. In 2005, she returned to the Pilots after taking a year off. She had played for the U.S. national team during that time. Stephanie helped her college team have an amazing season. They went undefeated with 23 wins and 2 ties. They also won the NCAA Championship. Stephanie was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team for her great play. The next season, she started 13 games and scored her first college goal.
In 2007, after playing in the World Cup, Stephanie led her team to 11 straight wins. They also had 10 shutouts, meaning they didn't let the other team score. Her team made it to the NCAA quarterfinals. Stephanie had the chance to become a full-time player for the senior national team. However, she chose to finish her degree at Portland. She graduated in December 2007 with a degree in psychology and a minor in Spanish. She also had a high GPA of 3.7. Stephanie was honored with the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. This award recognized her as the top senior in women's soccer nationwide. She was the first female soccer player to receive this award. Stephanie was also named Oregon's Female Amateur Athlete of the Year for 2007.
Professional Club Career
Playing for Los Angeles Sol
In 2009, Stephanie Cox joined the Los Angeles Sol. This was for the first season of the WPS league. She started all 20 games she played, totaling 1800 minutes on the field. Her team finished first in the regular season. However, they lost the championship game 1–0 to Sky Blue FC.
Time with Boston Breakers
The Los Angeles Sol team stopped playing after the 2009 WPS season. Stephanie Cox then joined the Boston Breakers in 2010. She helped the Breakers finish second in the regular season standings. She started all 24 games and scored one goal during the 2010 WPS season. Stephanie returned to the Breakers for the 2011 WPS season. She started in all 11 games she played that year.
Playing for Seattle Sounders Women
The WPS league stopped operations in early 2012. Stephanie Cox then signed with the Seattle Sounders Women. She joined other famous national team players there. These included Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe, Sydney Leroux, and Alex Morgan. Stephanie played in 12 games for the club. She scored one goal and had two assists.
Joining Seattle Reign FC
On June 19, 2013, Seattle Reign FC announced they had signed Stephanie Cox. This was for the rest of the first season of the National Women's Soccer League. Stephanie was returning to soccer after taking time off to have her first child. She played in four games for the club. She spent 326 minutes helping the team's defense.
Stephanie returned to the Reign for the 2014 season. She helped the team achieve a league record. They went 16 games without a loss at the start of the season. During this time, the Reign had 13 wins and 3 ties. The Reign finished first in the regular season. They won the NWSL Shield for the first time. After winning their playoff semi-final, they lost the championship game 2–1. After the season, Stephanie Cox was named to the Second XI team. She played in 21 games, starting 20 of them, and had one assist.
After the 2015 season, Stephanie Cox announced she was retiring from professional soccer.
Return to Playing
More than three years after retiring, Stephanie Cox decided to play soccer again. She signed with her former club, Reign FC, on May 31, 2019. After playing in four games, she was added to the team's main roster on July 16, 2019.
After the 2021 season, Stephanie Cox announced her second retirement from professional soccer.
International Career Highlights
Stephanie Cox started playing for the U.S. National Team Youth program in 2000. At the U-20 level, she played in the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in Thailand. Two years later, she was the captain of the U.S. team. This was for the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship in Russia. She made her first start for the senior national team in 2006. This was against France at the Algarve Cup. Her excellent play helped the Women's National Team win a gold medal. This big win happened at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Coaching Career
Stephanie Cox began coaching while she was still playing soccer. She first became an assistant coach for the Puget Sound Loggers in 2012. From 2015 to 2019, Cox was the head coach for the girls' soccer team at Gig Harbor High School. She led them to an undefeated season and a state championship in 2018.
After her first retirement from professional soccer, Stephanie Cox was an assistant coach for Seattle Reign FC in 2017. She returned as an assistant coach in 2019. This was after the club moved to Tacoma, Washington. However, she decided to start playing again midway through that season.
In June 2022, Stephanie Cox was named the interim head coach. This was for the Puget Sound Loggers women's soccer team. She became the official head coach in December 2022. Cox led the Loggers to a 16-4-1 record in 2022. They also earned a spot in the NCAA D-III Championship. She also coaches club soccer for Harbor Premier.
Personal Life and Community Work
Stephanie Cox is a Christian. She has spoken about how her faith is important to her. She believes that being an athlete is about more than just winning games. It's about showing kindness to others. Stephanie is also of Mexican descent.
Stephanie has helped her parents with many community projects. She went to Egypt to help paint an orphanage. She traveled to the Bahamas to clear land for a learning center. She also went to Mexico to serve meals to American missionaries. In 2005, she helped create a fundraiser for Hurricane Katrina victims. She also became a spokesperson for Casey Family Services. This is a large organization that helps foster children.
Stephanie lives in Gig Harbor, Washington. She lives there with her husband, Brian Cox, and their daughter, Kaylee. Brian also played baseball at the University of Portland.
See also
- List of Olympic medalists in football
- List of University of Portland alumni
