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Zola Springer

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Zola Springer
Personal information
Full name N. Zola Solamente[1]
Birth name Carolyn Anne Springer[2]
Date of birth (1972-09-21) September 21, 1972 (age 52)[3]
Place of birth Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
Height 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)[3]
Position(s) Defender[3]
Youth career
0000–1990 St. Andrew's Lions
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1993 North Carolina Tar Heels 94 (8)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998 Raleigh Wings[4] 8 (0)
International career
1992–1993 United States 9 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

N. Zola Solamente (born Carolyn Anne Springer; September 21, 1972) is an American former soccer player who played as a defender, making nine appearances for the United States women's national team.

Career

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Springer played for St. Andrew's Lions in middle and high school.[5] She also played basketball and ran track in high school. In college, she played for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1990 to 1993, winning the NCAA championship in all four seasons. She was an All-American in 1993, being included in the Soccer News first team and NSCAA second team. She was also included in the All-ACC Selection from 1991 to 1993, the ACC All-Tournament Selection in 1993, and was included in the NCAA All-Tournament Team in 1990, 1992, and 1993.[6] In total, she scored 8 goals and recorded 9 assists in 94 appearances for the Tar Heels.[7][8][9][10]

Springer made her international debut for the United States on August 14, 1992 in a friendly match against Norway. In total, she made nine appearances for the U.S., earning her final cap on July 17, 1993 in a friendly match against China PR.[3] She also participated in the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival in Denver.[11]

In 2014, Springer began to travel the world to coach youth soccer as a sports envoy for the Sports Diplomacy Office of the U.S. State Department.[12][13] As an envoy, she has traveled to Albania, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Jordan, Senegal, Tajikistan, and The Netherlands. She also provides youth soccer clinics in the greater Boston area.[14] In 2016, she was inducted into the St. Andrew's Athletic Hall of Fame.[5]

Personal life

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Springer is a native of Silver Spring, Maryland.[11] She was born as Carolyn Springer, and was nicknamed as "Ntozake Zola", though she changed her name to "N. Zola Solamente". She later worked as a painter and director of art gallery in Boston,[1] and has a daughter.[15]

Career statistics

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International

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United States[3]
Year Apps Goals
1992 1 0
1993 8 0
Total 9 0

References

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  1. ^ a b Crothers, Tim (2010). The Man Watching: Anson Dorrance and the University of North Carolina Women's Soccer Dynasty. St. Martin's Press. p. 314. ISBN 9781429946261. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019. Carolyn Springer, a.k.a. Ntozake Zola, has since changed her name to N. Zola Solamente and is now a painter and art gallery director in Boston. She has one of her paintings displayed in the Dorrance bedroom.
  2. ^ "The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: 189th Commencement (1991)". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 1991. p. 71. Retrieved August 26, 2019. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e "2019 U.S. Women's National Team Media Guide" (PDF). United States Soccer Federation. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  4. ^ "1998 Wings Player Stats". Raleigh Wings. Archived from the original on February 24, 1999. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Athletics Hall of Fame: Spotlight on Carolyn Springer '90". St. Andrew's Episcopal School. September 15, 2016. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  6. ^ "2019 North Carolina Women's Soccer Media Guide" (PDF). North Carolina Tar Heels. August 16, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 17, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  7. ^ "University of North Carolina: 1990 Women's Soccer Statistics" (PDF). North Carolina Tar Heels. 1990. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  8. ^ "University of North Carolina: 1991 Women's Soccer Statistics" (PDF). North Carolina Tar Heels. 1991. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  9. ^ "University of North Carolina: 1992 Women's Soccer Statistics" (PDF). North Carolina Tar Heels. 1992. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  10. ^ "University of North Carolina: 1993 Women's Soccer Statistics" (PDF). North Carolina Tar Heels. 1993. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Markus, Don (July 21, 1995). "Festival matures into major event". The Baltimore Sun. Denver. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  12. ^ "Two U.S. Former Professional Players to Conduct Soccer Clinics in Bolivia". La Paz: U.S. Embassy in Bolivia. October 29, 2014. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  13. ^ "Sports and Public Diplomacy Envoys 2005–2017". Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  14. ^ "U.S. Embassy and Sports Envoys Foster Women Empowerment and Community Building in Albania". U.S. Embassy Tirana. May 9, 2017. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  15. ^ "St. Andrew's Alumni Magazine 2014". St. Andrew's Episcopal School. July 8, 2014. p. 36. Retrieved August 26, 2019. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help) Alt URL