Helena Sampaio (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Helena Rodriguez Sampaio | ||
| Date of birth | February 4, 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Porto Alegre, Brazil | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2024 | USC Trojans | 78 | (12) |
| International career | |||
| 2018 | Brazil U-17 | ||
Helena Rodriguez Sampaio (born February 4, 2002) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder. She played collegiately for the USC Trojans, where she was named first-team All-American in her senior season.
Early life and college career
[edit]Sampaio began playing football with boys in her hometown of Porto Alegre when she was four years old. She only started playing on a girls' team in her early teens when she joined the newly formed Grêmio women's side before briefly playing with Internacional.[1] She began high school at Colégio Marista Rosário, where she led the soccer team to two state cup titles.[2] When she was 15, she tried out for IMG Academy in the United States and received a scholarship to train and finish high school there.[3]
USC Trojans
[edit]Sampaio played for the USC Trojans from 2021 to 2024, scoring 12 goals with 18 assists in 78 appearances. In her sophomore season, new head coach Jane Alukonis put Sampaio in the starting lineup, and she recorded a team-second-best 8 assists in 18 games.[2][4] She started all 19 games in her junior season, scoring 6 goals with 3 assists and earning All-Pac-12 Conference second-team honors. With the program's move to the Big Ten Conference in her senior year, she scored 5 goals with a team-best 7 assists in 23 games as USC won the conference regular-season title and reached the NCAA tournament quarterfinals. After her senior season, she was named the Big Ten Midfielder of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten, and first-team All-American.[2][5]
International career
[edit]Sampaio trained with Brazil's national under-17 team and was an alternate for Brazil's roster at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.[2]
Honors and awards
[edit]USC Trojans
Individual
- Big Ten Midfielder of the Year: 2024
- First-team All-American: 2024
- First-team All-Big Ten: 2024
- Second-team All-Pac-12: 2023
References
[edit]- ^ Furtado, Tatiana (December 11, 2018). "Do futebol com meninos ao primeiro torneio internacional: a trajetória da seleção feminina sub-17". O Globo (in Portuguese). Retrieved December 19, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Helena Sampaio". USC Trojans. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
- ^ "Craque e determinada: de Porto Alegre aos Estados Unidos atrás do sonho de jogar bola". Revista Bá (in Portuguese). December 28, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
- ^ Collier, Crash (October 23, 2024). "How a wonder-goal put Helena Sampaio in the spotlight for USC". USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
- ^ "Courtnall, Sampaio, Hayes Earn All-America Recognition". USC Trojans. December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Helena Sampaio at Soccerway.com
