Elizabeth Ball

Elizabeth Rose Ball (born October 20, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for the Kansas City Current in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer at Penn State University and has previously competed for the Portland Thorns and Utah Royals.

Ball began her youth soccer career playing as a forward for the Richmond Strikers ECNL team and was selected to attend the ECNL id2/The Chance National Training Camp in 2013. During her time with the ECNL, she scored 57 goals. At Deep Run High School in Richmond, Virginia, Ball was a standout player, leading her team to multiple deep playoff runs and a state championship in 2013, where she scored both goals in the final match. She earned several honors, including The Times-Dispatch’s Girls Soccer Player of the Year and Virginia’s High School State Player of the Year.

At Penn State, Ball majored in Biobehavioral Health and was a key defensive player from her freshman year. She started every game during her collegiate career, helping the team secure numerous shutouts and achieve significant successes, including winning the 2015 NCAA College Cup Championship without conceding a goal. Ball finished her college career as Penn State’s fourth all-time leader in minutes played.

Ball signed her first professional contract with the Portland Thorns in 2018, making 23 appearances over two seasons and participating in playoff matches. She was traded to the Utah Royals in 2020, where she played in the NWSL Challenge Cup. In 2021, Ball joined the Kansas City Current for their inaugural season and scored her first NWSL goal in October of that year. She subsequently signed a three-year contract extension with the club through 2024.