Lara Esponda

Lara Esponda
Personal information
Date of birth (2005-11-05) 5 November 2005 (age 19)
Place of birth Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 River Plate
Number 1
Youth career
River Plate
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– River Plate
International career‡
2022 Argentina U20 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 July 2023

Lara Esponda (born 5 November 2005) is an Argentine footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for River Plate in Argentina's Women's Primera A.[1][2]

Early years and club career

Esponda began playing football with a youth team in Ituzaingó, Argentina. She started as a forward, but was asked to fill in for an absent goalkeeper, and has played that position since.[3]

She started advanced training at the age of 9, and at 11 began training with the first team, joining River Plate's first team in the 2019–20 season. On 9 March 2020, at the age of 14, she made her debut, becoming the youngest goalkeeper to play in Women's Primera A, the top women's football league in Argentina.[4] In 2018 she was champion of the Under-14 Development League with River Plate as the starting goalkeeper, beating the women's team of the Chubut Valley League 1–0.[5] In January 2023 she signed her first professional contract.[6]

International career

After playing on the national under-15 team,[7] on 13 October 2020, she was called up to the Argentina national under-17 team.[8]

Esponda was called up to the Argentina national U-20 team in February 2022 to play in the 2022 South American Under-20 Women's Football Championship in Chile.[9] She conceded two goals, both in the loss to Venezuela. La albiceleste finished third and did not advance to the next round.[10] It was part of a mixed call between sub-18 and sub-20 for the COTIF La Alcudia 2022 tournament,[11][12] where her team finished runner-up.[13]

Esponda earned a call-up to the Argentina women's national team for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Lara Esponda: Representar a la Selección Argentina es un orgullo enorme". OneFootball (in Spanish). 17 July 2023.
  2. ^ Knudtsen, Federico (16 August 2021). "Estoy feliz por las oportunidades que nos dan»: Lara Esponda, arquera de River de 15 años, elogió el trabajo que se realiza en inferiores". soydelmillo.com (in Spanish).
  3. ^ "Lara Esponda: Representar a tu selección es uno de los logros más grandes que puede tener una jugadora". River, el más grande (in Spanish). 26 September 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  4. ^ "River y una ráfaga de goles". Club Atletico River Plate (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  5. ^ "River campeón de la Liga de Desarrollo Sub 14 – Liga Santafesina de Futbol" (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Fútbol Femenino: refuerzos, renovaciones y nuevos contratos". lamaquinariver.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Las juveniles se pusieron en marcha". Sitio Oficial de la Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Cinco millonarias convocadas a la Selección Sub-17". Tan Interactiva (in Spanish). costafebremonumental.com. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Una por una, todas las futbolistas que jugarán el Sudamericano". Sitio Oficial de la Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  10. ^ "Summary - Sudamericano U20 Femenino - South America - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Las Selecciones Sub20 y juvenil Femenina, en viaje a España para disputar el Torneo COTIF L' Alcudia". Sitio Oficial de la Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  12. ^ "Plantel Femenino confirmado para viajar al Torneo Internacional COTIF La Alcudia". Sitio Oficial de la Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Argentina cayó en la final del torneo de L'Alcudia". El Gráfico (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  14. ^ "Lista de convocadas para el Mundial Australia/Nueva Zelanda 2023" [Squad list for the Australia/New Zealand 2023 World Cup] (in Spanish). Argentine Football Association. 8 July 2023.