Cavaliers Now

Virginia Women's Soccer Alum Emily Sonnett Named to Second U.S. Olympic Roster

Matt Newton

Emily Sonnett reacts during the United States women's soccer match against Canada in the SheBelieves Cup in Columbus, Ohio.
Emily Sonnett reacts during the United States women's soccer match against Canada in the SheBelieves Cup in Columbus, Ohio. / Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

The list of University of Virginia athletes heading to the Paris Olympics continues to grow. Former UVA women's soccer star Emily Sonnett will make her second appearance at the Olympic Games, as she was named to the 18-player roster of the U.S. Women's National Team (USWNT) on Wednesday and will represent the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Sonnett, who currently plays for NJ/NY Gotham FC in the National Women's Soccer League, competed at Virginia from 2012 to 2015. Her collegiate accomplishments in the orange and blue included leading the Cavaliers to their first College Cup appearance in 22 years and the program's first-ever national title game appearance the following year, back-to-back trips to the ACC Tournament title game, an ACC regular season title, and a host of individual accolades that included the 2014 College Cup Most Outstanding Defensive Player, 2015 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, 2015 ESPNW Soccer Player of the Year, and four All-ACC selections.

Sonnett received her first senior call-up to the USWNT in October of 2015 and has earned 91 caps as a staple of the team's defensive line since then. In 2016, Sonnett was an alternate on the USWNT for the 2016 Olympics and traveled with the team to Rio. She helped the United States win the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup and then made her Olympic debut at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, earning a bronze medal. Now, Sonnett is headed to her second Olympic Games next month in Paris.

The U.S. Women's National Team will begin training for the Olympics on July 8th in New Jersey and will face Mexico in Harrison, New Jersey on July 13th before taking on Costa Rica in the 2024 Send-Off Match at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. on July 16th.

The United States has been placed in Group B with Germany, Zambia, and Australia. See the USWNT's group play schedule below:

July 25th at 3pm ET: vs. Zambia (Stade de Nice in Nice, France)
July 28th at 3pm ET: vs. Germany (Stade de Marseille in Marseille, France)
July 31st at 1pm ET: vs. Australia (Stade de Marseille in Marseille ,France)

The United States won the gold medal in Atlanta in 1996 the first time women's soccer was played as an event at the Olympics. After taking silver in Sydney in 2000, the Americans won gold in three-straight Olympics in Athens, Beijing, and London. Since then, however, the USWNT has fallen short, losing in the quarterfinals in 2016, taking bronze in Tokyo in 2021, and falling in the Round of 16 at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. Sonnett and the Americans will look to reclaim their place atop the world of women's soccer next month in Paris.

Virginia has had a player on the U.S. Olympic women's soccer roster in each of the last six Olympic Games. With Sonnett being named to the USWNT Olympic roster, there are now confirmed to be nine current, former, or future Cavaliers representing the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics:

United States Olympic Tennis Team: Danielle Collins (UVA '16) and Emma Navarro (UVA '22)

United States Olympic Swimming Team: Paige Madden (UVA '21), Gretchen Walsh (UVA '25), Kate Douglass (UVA '23), Emma Weber (UVA '26), Alex Walsh (UVA '24), Thomas Heilman (UVA '29)

United States Olympic Women's Soccer Team: Emily Sonnett (UVA '16)

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Matt Newton

MATT NEWTON

Managing Editor and Publisher, CavaliersNow Email: mattnewton@virginia.eduTwitter: @mattynewtssWebsite | LinkedIn | Instagram Matt Newton is the managing editor and publisher at CavaliersNow. He has been covering UVA athletics since 2019 and has been the managing editor at CavaliersNow since launching the site in August 2021. Matt covers all things UVA sports, including Virginia basketball and football news and recruiting, former Wahoos in the pros, and coverage of all 23 of the NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. A native of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Matt grew up a huge Philadelphia sports fan, but has also been a UVA sports fanatic his entire life thanks to his parents, who are alums of the University of Virginia. Matt followed in his parents' footsteps and attended UVA from 2017-2021, graduating with a degree in Media Studies and a minor in Economics in May of 2021.Â