Stephanie Cox facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Stephanie Renee Cox | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | April 3, 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Los Gatos, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defender | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Puget Sound Loggers (interim head coach) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Elk Grove Pride | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Stephanie Renee Cox (born April 3, 1986) is an American soccer coach and former professional player. She played as a defender. Currently, she is the head coach of the Puget Sound Loggers women's soccer team.
As a player, Stephanie Cox was a defender for the United States women's national soccer team. She won an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Contents
Early Life and High School Success
Stephanie Cox was born in Los Gatos, California. She 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 named to the all-section team in her junior and senior years. She also won the youth All-American award from NSCAA. Parade Magazine named her an All-American too. Besides soccer, she played basketball for three years. She was also a great student, graduating with a 4.17 GPA.
Playing for the University of Portland
Stephanie Cox attended the University of Portland. She started 23 games in her first year. In 2005, she took a year off from college soccer to play for the US national team. When she returned, she helped her college team, the Pilots, have an amazing season. They went undefeated with 23 wins, 0 losses, and 2 ties. They won the NCAA Championship. Stephanie was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team.
The next season, she started 13 games and scored her first college goal. In 2007, after playing in the World Cup, she led her team to 11 straight wins. They also had 10 shutouts. Her team reached the NCAA quarterfinals. She could have become a full-time professional player. But she chose to return to Portland to finish her degree. She graduated with a 3.7 GPA in psychology.
She won the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. This award recognizes the nation's top senior in women's soccer. She was the first female soccer player to receive it. Stephanie Cox was also named Oregon's Female Amateur Athlete of the Year for 2007.
Professional Soccer 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. Her team finished first in the regular season. However, they lost the championship game 1–0.
Time with Boston Breakers
After the Los Angeles Sol team closed down, Stephanie joined the Boston Breakers. This happened in the 2010 WPS Dispersal Draft. She helped the Breakers finish second in the regular season. She started all 24 games and scored one goal that year.
Stephanie returned to the Breakers for the 2011 WPS season. She started all 11 games she played in.
Joining Seattle Sounders Women
The WPS league stopped playing in early 2012. Stephanie Cox then signed with the Seattle Sounders Women. She played alongside other US national team stars. These included Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe, Sydney Leroux, and Alex Morgan. She played in 12 games, scoring one goal and making two assists.
Playing for Seattle Reign FC
On June 19, 2013, Seattle Reign FC signed Stephanie Cox. She was returning to soccer after having her first child. She played four games for the team that season.
Stephanie returned to the Reign for the 2014 season. She helped the team set a new league record. They went 16 games without a loss. During this time, they won 13 games and tied 3. The Reign finished first in the regular season. They won the NWSL Shield for the first time. They reached the championship final but lost 2–1. Stephanie Cox was named to the Second XI team that year. 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.
Coming Back to Play
More than three years after retiring, Stephanie Cox decided to play again. She signed with her former club, Reign FC, on May 31, 2019. After four games, she was added to the team's main roster.
After the 2021 season, Stephanie Cox announced her second retirement from professional soccer.
International Soccer Career
Stephanie Cox started playing for the US National Youth Team 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 US team in 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 at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Coaching Career
Stephanie Cox began coaching while she was still playing. She first became an assistant coach for the Puget Sound Loggers in 2012. From 2015 to 2019, she 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 playing, Stephanie was an assistant coach for Seattle Reign FC in 2017. She returned as an assistant coach in 2019.
In June 2022, Stephanie Cox was named the interim head coach for the Puget Sound Loggers women's soccer team. In December 2022, she became the permanent head coach. She led the 2022 Loggers to a 16-4-1 record. They also earned a spot in the NCAA D-III Championship. She also coaches club soccer for Harbor Premier.
Personal Life
Stephanie Cox is a Christian. She has spoken about how her faith helps her as an athlete. She believes it's about "loving others and showing them Christ." Stephanie Cox is also of Mexican descent.
She has helped her parents lead groups of teens on trips to help others. They have painted an orphanage in Egypt. They have cleared land for a learning center in the Bahamas. They have also served meals to missionaries in Mexico. In 2005, she helped create a fundraiser for Hurricane Katrina victims. She also became a spokesperson for Casey Family Services. This is the largest foster care organization in the country.
Stephanie lives in Gig Harbor, Washington. She lives with her husband, Brian Cox, and their daughter, Kaylee.
See also
- List of Olympic medalists in football
- List of University of Portland alumni
