Lena Silano

Lena Silano
Silano with the Washington Spirit in 2024
Personal information
Date of birth (2000-02-28) February 28, 2000 (age 24)
Place of birth Agoura Hills, California
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Forward
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2022 Long Beach State Beach 62 (27)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023–2024 Washington Spirit 27 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of December 31, 2024

Lena Silano (born February 28, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who most recently played as a forward for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for Long Beach State and was drafted by the Spirit in the 2023 NWSL Draft.

College career

Silano appeared in six matches during her first season at Long Beach State in 2018 and played in all 17 matches in 2019.[1] Her 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and she was granted an extra year of eligibility.[1] She played a total 62 matches for Long Beach State and scored 27 goals and made 10 assists.[2]

She was a two-time All-West Region selection, two-time All-Big West Conference selection, and the 2022 Big West Offensive Player of the Year.[3]

In 2022, Silano's late-game bicycle kick to tie a match went viral with outlets like ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and CNN sharing the clip on social media.[4][5]

Club career

Washington Spirit, 2023–2024

Silano was selected with the 34th pick by the Washington Spirit in the 2023 NWSL Draft and was just the second Long Beach State women's soccer alumni to appear in an NWSL game in the program's history.[3][6] In her rookie season, Silano started in three regular season matches and six starts in the 2023 Challenge Cup, logging three assists and one goal.[7]

On December 29, 2024, Silano announced her departure from the Spirit.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b "Lena Silano". Washington Spirit. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  2. ^ "Long Beach State Standout Lena Silano Selected 34th in NWSL Draft". bigwest.org. October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Lena Silano Goes From Long Beach State Women's Soccer To NWSL". The562.org. January 20, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  4. ^ Hendrickson, Tyler (September 11, 2022). "The story behind an unbelievable Long Beach State soccer goal that went viral". Long Beach Post News. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  5. ^ Scott, Jelani (September 5, 2022). "Watch: Long Beach State Player Nets See-It-To-Believe-It Bicycle Kick". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  6. ^ "Long Beach State alum, Lena Silano, Makes Pro Debut with Washington Spirit". Long Beach State University Athletics. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  7. ^ "National Women's Soccer League Official Site | NWSL". www.nwslsoccer.com. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  8. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-12-31.


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