Stephanie Cox

Stephanie Renee Cox (born April 3, 1986), née Stephanie Renee Lopez, is a Mexican-American retired professional soccer defender and Olympic gold medalist. She most recently played for the Seattle Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League and the United States women's national soccer team.

Early life

Born in San Jose, California, Cox grew up in Elk Grove, California and attended Elk Grove High School where she helped lead her soccer team to two league championships. She was named to the all-section team as a junior and senior, won the youth All-American award from NSCAA and was named a Parade Magazine All-American. On top of her numerous soccer achievements, she also lettered in basketball for three years and managed to graduate with a 4.17 GPA.

University of Portland

Cox attended the University of Portland, where she started 23 matches her freshman year. In 2005, after returning to the Pilots following a redshirt season to play for the US, Stephanie helped lead her team to an undefeated record of 23–0–2 and an NCAA Championship and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. The following season, she started in 13 games and scored her first collegiate goal.