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Olivia Wade-Katoa
American soccer player (born 1999) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Olivia Jo Wade-Katoa (née Wade; born December 28, 1999) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Portland Thorns FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the BYU Cougars before being drafted by the Portland Thorns in the 2024 NWSL Draft.
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Early life
Wade-Katoa was born in Kaysville, Utah,[2] into a family of five children. She attended Davis High School and played club soccer for La Roca FC.[3] In 2016, Wade-Katoa was named Gatorade's Utah Player of the Year and The Salt Lake Tribune's player of the year in 2016.[4][5] She is also a 5-time State Cup champion and won the 2016 UYSA National Championship Golden Ball.[3]
College career
Wade-Katoa played college soccer for the BYU Cougars. She scored her first collegiate goal in September 2018, tallying a last-minute game-winner in a match against the Utah Utes.[6][7] After her freshman season at BYU, Wade-Katoa took time away from soccer in order to serve as a missionary in Houston, Texas.[8][9]
She returned to BYU in 2021 and scored only 43 seconds into her first game back.[4] The Cougars would eventually make it to the NCAA championship game, which culminated in a penalty shootout. Wade-Katoa converted her spot-kick, but Florida State prevailed to secure the victory.[10][11]
In her final two seasons of college soccer, Wade-Katoa started all of BYU's games.[3] She was named to the All-WCC Second Team[12] and the NCAA Third Team All-Region in 2022.[13] In her 2023, she co-captained BYU alongside teammate Jamie Shepherd.[14] Wade-Katoa was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament team and to the All-American third team[15] as a senior and helped BYU reach the NCAA semifinals.[16] She finished her career at BYU having played in 120 games and scored 25 goals.[3]
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Club career
Wade-Katoa was selected in the 2nd round of the 2024 NWSL Draft by Portland Thorns FC as the 23rd overall pick.[17][18] In March 2024, she signed her first professional contract with the Thorns.[19] She made her professional debut in the Thorns' season-opener, coming on as a substitute in a 5–4 defeat to the Kansas City Current.[20] On July 21, 2024, Wade-Katoa recorded her first professional start and goal in an NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup victory over Club Tijuana.[21][22][23] She later had her rookie season curtailed early after picking up a season-ending knee injury in a CONCACAF W Champions Cup fixture on October 1.[23][24]
International career
Wade-Katoa has represented the United States at the U17 level.[3] She was named to the United States' squad for the 2015 NTC Invitational tournament in Carson, California.[25][26][27] The USA would go on to win the tournament, securing the title for the second consecutive year.[28]
Personal life
Born into a basketball-geared family, both of Wade-Katoa's parents are former collegiate players, while her grandfather was a coach.[3][29] Wade-Katoa's brother, Jesse Wade, also played sports for BYU.[30][31]
In June 2023, Wade-Katoa married former USC Trojans football player Tayler Katoa.[32][33][34] On March 22, 2025, the couple announced that Wade-Katoa was pregnant with her first child.[35]
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Career statistics
Club
- As of December 27, 2024
- Includes the NWSL Challenge Cup
- Includes NWSL Playoffs
- Includes CONCACAF W Champions Cup
- Includes NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup
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References
External links
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