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Lauren Flynn

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Lauren Flynn
Personal information
Full name Lauren Elizabeth Flynn[1]
Date of birth (2002-05-22) May 22, 2002 (age 23)[1]
Place of birth Arlington, Virginia, U.S.
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Position(s) Center back
Team information
Current team
 Utah Royals
Number 5
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2023 Florida State Seminoles 79 (7)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024– Utah Royals 13 (0)
International career‡
2022 United States U-20 11 (0)
2025– United States U-23 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of April 25, 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of May 30, 2025

Lauren Elizabeth Flynn (born May 22, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center back for the Utah Royals of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Florida State Seminoles, winning two NCAA championships (2021 and 2023). She has represented the United States at youth level, appearing at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

Early life

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Flynn was born and raised in Arlington County, Virginia,[2] one of three daughters born to Chris and Debby Flynn. Her older sister, Meghan, played college soccer at Tennessee, and her younger sister, Moira, plays for Miami.[3][4] Flynn played high school soccer as a forward at Yorktown High School, scoring 66 goals in three seasons, winning two state championships, and earning first-team all-state honors.[3][5] She played ECNL club soccer for McLean Youth Soccer.[5] Not highly recruited out of high school, Flynn committed to Florida State in her senior year.[5][6]

College career

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Flynn made 10 appearances as a freshman, primarily as a substitute, before the fall season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Head coach Mark Krikorian then moved her from winger to center back in the spring portion of the season, where she started all five games alongside Emily Madril as the Seminoles reached the final of the NCAA tournament, losing to Santa Clara on penalties.[3][5] She started all 25 games in her sophomore season in 2021, helping Florida State return to the NCAA tournament final, this time winning on penalties against BYU. She was named third-team Best XI by TopDrawerSoccer.[5][7]

Flynn remained at Florida State as Brian Pensky, who formerly coached one of her sisters at Tennessee, replaced Krikorian in 2022.[8] She started 22 games and reached the semifinals of the NCAA tournament, being named second-team TopDrawerSoccer Best XI.[9][10] During her senior season, Flynn featured in attack for senior night against NC State and scored a hat trick to double her career scoring total.[11] She then won her fourth consecutive ACC tournament.[12] She started all 23 games in the 2023 season and played nearly every minute of every game.[3] She anchored a defense that allowed just one goal during the NCAA tournament as Florida State became undefeated national champions, with Flynn being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Defensive Player and first-team TopDrawerSoccer Best XI.[8][13]

Club career

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Utah Royals

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Flynn was drafted by expansion team Utah Royals with the 16th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NWSL Draft.[12] She signed to a one-year contract with an option to extend for an additional year.[14] She made her professional debut as a starting against Racing Louisville FC on April 20, 2024.[15] She won NWSL Save of the Week after the May 25 game against the Kansas City Current for her last-ditch header to deflect Temwa Chawinga's shot on goal.[16] However, her rookie season ended prematurely after she was diagnosed with bilateral compartment syndrome that was causing incessant pain in her calves. Utah placed her on the season-ending injury list on August 28, 2024, after which she underwent surgery. Up to that point, Flynn had led the Royals in combined tackles and interceptions through 12 starts.[17][18]

Flynn returned to action for the Royals against the Houston Dash on April 25, 2025, replacing Claudia Zornoza in the first half.[19]

International career

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Flynn was first called up to the United States national under-20 team in December 2021, arriving at training camp just after winning her first NCAA championship. She appeared in six of seven games for the team at the 2022 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship, where they shut out all their opponents to win the tournament.[5][20] She was selected to the roster for the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, where they lost in the group stage.[21] She played friendlies with the national under-23 team in 2023.[22]

Honors and awards

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Florida State Seminoles

United States U-20

Individual

References

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  1. ^ a b "Squad List: FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Costa Rica 2022" (PDF). FIFA. August 3, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  2. ^ "Lauren Flynn". RSL. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d "Lauren Flynn – 2023–24 – Women's Soccer". Florida State Seminoles. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  4. ^ "Girls With Goals". Arlington Magazine. May 2, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Front to Back with Lauren Flynn". United States Soccer Federation. August 16, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  6. ^ FSU Soccer [@FSUSoccer] (December 12, 2019). "Our second commit is" (Tweet). Retrieved May 1, 2025 – via Twitter.
  7. ^ "2021 Women's DI Postseason awards". TopDrawerSoccer. December 14, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Williams, Jack (December 4, 2023). "Lauren Flynn's growth as player, person highlights Florida State soccer's defensive dominance". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  9. ^ "North Carolina outlasts Florida St. in 3-2 thriller to advance to 2022 Women's College Cup final". National Collegiate Athletic Association. December 2, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  10. ^ "2022 Women's DI Postseason Awards". TopDrawerSoccer. December 14, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  11. ^ Williams, Jack (October 27, 2023). "Lauren Flynn's hat trick highlights emotional, milestone night for Florida State soccer". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Facinoli, Dave (January 26, 2024). "Yorktown graduate signs contract to begin pro soccer career". Gazette Leader. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  13. ^ "2023 Women's Dl Postseason Awards". TopDrawerSoccer. December 13, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  14. ^ "Former FSU Defender Signs With Utah Royals FC". Utah Royals. March 12, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  15. ^ "Lauren Flynn 2024 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  16. ^ National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (May 29, 2024). "Oh. My. Gosh... 🫨 The Defensive Recovery by Lauren Flynn 👏 👏 👏" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    Holt, Chandler (May 25, 2024). "Utah Royals FC Can't Find Net In Disappointing Loss To KC Current". KSL Sports. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  17. ^ "URFC Defender Lauren Flynn Placed On Season-Ending Injury List". Utah Royals. August 28, 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  18. ^ Crossley, Elle (April 25, 2025). "After injury, Utah Royals' Lauren Flynn learns physical recovery is a mental battle". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  19. ^ "Utah Royals FC Fall 1-0 On The Road To Houston Dash". Utah Royals. April 25, 2025. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  20. ^ "Yorktown graduate Lauren Flynn named to U.S. U-20 women's World Cup soccer squad". InsideNoVa.com. July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  21. ^ "USA Bows Out of FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup with 3–1 Loss to Japan". United States Soccer Federation. August 17, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  22. ^ "U.S. U23 WNT Defeats France 2–0". TopDrawerSoccer. February 17, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
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