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Caroline Kelly
Personal information
Full name Caroline Jayne Kelly[1]
Date of birth (2002-02-22) February 22, 2002 (age 23)
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Brooklyn FC
Number 14
Youth career
KC Athletics ECNL
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2023 Saint Louis Billikens 76 (31)
2024 TCU Horned Frogs 22 (13)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2025– Brooklyn FC 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of April 21, 2025

Caroline Jayne Kelly (born February 22, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Brooklyn FC of the USL Super League. She played college soccer for the Saint Louis Billikens and the TCU Horned Frogs.

Early life

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Kelly grew up nearby Kansas City in the town of Kearney, Missouri.[2][3] She attended Kearney High School, where she played both soccer and basketball.[4] With the soccer team, Kelly was an All-State honorable mention as a freshman before winning two All-State first team awards in her latter years.[2] She also played for KC Athletics in the Elite Clubs National League, where she helped the team reach a U18 State Championship match and the ECNL quarterfinals in her youth.[5]

College career

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Saint Louis Billikens

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As a high school sophomore, Kelly committed to Saint Louis University.[3] She kicked off her collegiate career with the Billikens in 2020, although the COVID-19 pandemic and a knee injury delayed her college debut by a year.[2][3] She recovered in time to play in the final 7 games of her freshman season and scored her first college goal against Duquesne on April 4, 2021.[6] The following season, Kelly rose to a starting role and played in all 23 of the Billikens' games.[2][7] She was named to the A-10 Championship All-Tournament team and scored 5 goals on the season. Kelly also tallied 2 assists, one of which occurred in SLU's conference quarterfinal victory over Rhode Island.[2]

Kelly built on her success in her junior year, being named the College Soccer News National Player of the Week in September 2022,[4][8] landing a spot on two TopDrawerSoccer National Teams of the Week, and being named on the All-Conference first team at the end of the season.[2] Kelly had a breakout season in her final year at Saint Louis, once again winning multiple accolades.[9] She was named to the All-Region second team, the All-Conference first team, and won the A-10 Championship Most Outstanding Player award.[2] She also was included on the Mac Hermann Trophy watchlist and helped SLU achieve its longest NCAA tournament run in history.[3][10] Kelly completed her tenure with Saint Louis as the third-highest program goalscorer, with 31 scored in her 76 appearances.[3]

TCU Horned Frogs

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Kelly transferred to Texas Christian University in 2024 and exercised her final year of college eligibility to play one season with the TCU Horned Frogs.[5] In her lone campaign at TCU, Kelly was responsible for 13 goals, which tied for first within her team and the Big 12 Conference as a whole.[11] One of her goals was the game-winner in TCU's NCAA tournament first round victory, and two others occurred in the knockout stages of the Big 12 tournament.[11][12] Kelly was recognized on the All-Big 12 and Big 12 All-Tournament Teams at the end of the year.[11]

Club career

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Brooklyn FC

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Directly out of college, Kelly spent time as a preseason trialist with San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League. However, she did not sign a contract with the Californian club.[13] Instead, she inked a deal with USL Super League club Brooklyn FC on April 1, 2025, lasting through the remainder of the team's inaugural season.[14][15] Kelly made her professional debut on April 19, coming in as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 draw with Lexington SC.[16] Two games later, she scored her first professional goal in a 4–1 victory over Fort Lauderdale United FC.[17]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of April 21, 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Playoffs Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Brooklyn FC 2024-25 USL Super League 1 0 — — 1 0
Career total 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

References

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  1. ^ "2024 Saint Louis University Business Precommencement" (PDF). Saint Louis University. p. 7. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Caroline Kelly - 2023 - Women's Soccer". Saint Louis University. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e Kotnik, Nora. "Honoring Caroline Kelly's historic career at SLU". The University News. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Dickerson, Jim (September 14, 2022). "Caroline Kelly Earns National Player of the Week". KearneyCountry.com. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Soccer Announces Signing Class". TCU Athletics. June 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  6. ^ "Billikens Dominate Duquesne, 5-0". Saint Louis University. April 4, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  7. ^ Durando, Stu (November 18, 2021). "Unexpected contributions lift SLU women's soccer". STLtoday.com. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  8. ^ "Saint Louis Forward Caroline Kelly – College Soccer News Women's National Player Of The Week – Week Ending September 11, 2022 – College Soccer News". September 12, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  9. ^ "Saint Louis' Kelly Tabbed a "Forward to Watch" by United Soccer Coaches". atlantic10.com. January 29, 2025. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  10. ^ rjohnson (August 31, 2023). "3 Cal South Alumni Named to MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List Ahead of Season". Cal South. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c "Caroline Kelly - Women's Soccer". TCU Athletics. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  12. ^ "SFA Falls to No. 5 TCU in First Round of NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship". www.southland.org. November 15, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  13. ^ "Kelly Earns NWSL Preseason Camp Invite". TCU Athletics. January 30, 2025. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  14. ^ Staff, Brooklyn Eagle (April 3, 2025). "Brooklyn FC adds two new players". Brooklyn Eagle. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  15. ^ "Brooklyn FC Signs Ginger Fontenot and Caroline Kelly". Brooklyn FC. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  16. ^ "Grabias Equalizer Earns 1-1 Draw as Brooklyn FC Showcases New Talent". OurSports Central. April 21, 2025. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  17. ^ "Match Center - Fort Lauderdale United FC vs Brooklyn FC - 5/3/25". USL Super League. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
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