Draft:Abi Brighton
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Abigail Brighton | ||
| Date of birth | March 29, 2002[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Beaufort, South Carolina, U.S. | ||
| Position(s) | Center midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Juventus | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2024 | Vanderbilt Commodores | 93 | (10) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024– | Juventus | 0 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Abigail Brighton (born March 29, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Serie A Femminile club Juventus. She played college soccer for the Vanderbilt Commodores, where she was a two-time All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection.
Early life and college career
[edit]Brighton was born in Beaufort, South Carolina, to John and Stephanie Brighton, and raised in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.[1] She has an older brother, James, who played college soccer for Clemson. Brighton attended Heritage Academy in Hilton Head, where she captained the soccer team from 2012 to 2018.[2] She played club soccer for Tormenta FC.[3] She was called into United States national under-14 team training camp in 2016 and later invited to virtual camp at the under-20 level in 2021.[4][5]
Vanderbilt Commodores
[edit]Brighton was a five-year starter for the Vanderbilt Commodores from 2020 to 2024, scoring 10 goals and making 15 assists in 93 appearances (92 starts). She was named to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) all-freshman team and helped lead Vanderbilt to the SEC tournament in her pandemic-shortened first season, their first tournament title since 1994. She scored and assisted in a 4–2 win against Mississippi State in their opening round (her rocket against Mississippi State made SportsCenter's top 10 plays), and she scored the last goal in a 3–1 victory over Arkansas in the conference final. Vanderbilt lost to Penn State in their opening game in the NCAA tournament.[1][6]
Brighton made a career-high five assists in her junior season in 2022. She assisted the 1–1 tying goal against Arkansas in the SEC tournament quarterfinals, then made her kick as they advanced on penalties. Vanderbilt received an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament, and Brighton assisted the winning goal in a 1–0 win over Clemson in the first round before they lost to Northwestern in the next game. She became team captain in her senior year and returned for a fifth and final season (granted to college athletes because of the pandemic) in 2024. In the second round of her last NCAA tournament, she led Vanderbilt past top-seeded defending champions Florida State, assisting the second goal in a 3–3 draw and making the winning penalty kick in the ensuing shootout. Vanderbilt lost to Penn State in the next round.[1][7] Described as "arguably the spine of the team" for her facilitating play, Brighton was named to the All-SEC second team in her last two seasons and third-team United Soccer Coaches All-American in her last season.[1][8]
Club career
[edit]Juventus
[edit]It was reported on December 8, 2024, that Serie A Femminile club Juventus would sign Brighton and that she would become available for selection in the new year; Juventus was the only European club to send a scout to the recent SEC tournament.[9]
Honors
[edit]Vanderbilt Commodores
Individual
- Third-team United Soccer Coaches All-American: 2024
- Second-team All-SEC: 2023, 2024
- SEC all-freshman team: 2020
- SEC tournament all-tournament team: 2020
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Abi Brighton". Vanderbilt Commodores. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- ^ Hidalgo Bellows, Kate (November 27, 2020). "Hilton Head siblings help carry college soccer teams to conference wins – on the same day". The Island Packet. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- ^ Shealer, Sheldon (January 21, 2018). "Recruiting Roundup: January 22–28". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- ^ Shain, Jeff (January 24, 2016). "Storm Academy soccer duo getting national look". The Island Packet. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. U20 WNT Virtual Camp Roster". United States Soccer Federation. May 20, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
- ^ Hays, Graham (October 31, 2024). "Let's Just Play". Vanderbilt Commodores. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- ^ Joffer, Prince Akeem (November 23, 2024). "FSU soccer falls in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Vanderbilt". Tomahawk Nation. SB Nation. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- ^ Hall, Grace (November 27, 2024). "Soccer: History written in the 2024 season". The Vanderbilt Hustler. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
- ^ Cardinale, Miriana (December 8, 2024). "Juventus Women, in arrivo Abi Brighton: i dettagli". ilBiancoNero (in Italian). Retrieved December 8, 2024.
External links
[edit]- This article has no link in Wikidata
- Living people
- 2002 births
- Soccer players from South Carolina
- Sportspeople from Beaufort, South Carolina
- People from Hilton Head, South Carolina
- American women's soccer players
- Women's association football midfielders
- United States women's youth international soccer players
- Vanderbilt Commodores women's soccer players
- Juventus FC (women) players