Leah Fortune is in her second season as an assistant coach with the USC Upstate women’s soccer team. She assists in all facets of the program.
Her rookie season in Spartanburg saw Fortune help an Upstate defense post the lowest goals against average in school history during the Division I era, as the Spartans allowed 14 fewer goals and 108 fewer shots than in 2013. Goalkeeper Ellen Bright stood second in the league with 5.19 saves per game, and her 45 saves during league were the most of any keeper in the conference.
Known for her goal scoring ability, Fortune played an integral role in the development of forward Kenzie Major. Major finished 2014 fourth in the A-Sun with seve n goals and fifth with 15 points, which included a four-game game early in the year at South Carolina State to make her the first player in the Division I era to accomplish that feat. Additionally, newcomer Nicki Krejci became the school record holder for the most assists in a season in the D1 era with four, and midfielder Haley Gethin was selected to the All-Atlantic Sun second team.
Fortune brought a wealth of experience to USC Upstate as a player on both the collegiate and international level, having played collegiately at the University of Texas and Lee University and internationally with the Brazilian Women’s National Team.
Fortune played for the Longhorns during the 2009 and 2010 seasons and helped lead Texas to the NCAA Women’s College Cup in 2010. Serving as team captain as both a junior and senior at Lee University, Fortune earned NAIA First Team All-American honors in 2011 en route to leading the Lady Flames to an NAIA National Championship.
Internationally, Fortune participated in two U20 World Cups and played with the Brazilian Women’s National Team in World Cup and Olympic Qualifiers. She s cored a goal in Brazil’s 4-1 win over New Zealand in Germany and helped the team win the U-20 CONMEBOL in 2010 en route to qualifying for the World Cup.
She participated in the Brazilian Women’s National Team training camp as part of its training for the 2011 World Cup Qualifying tournament and was the youngest player invited to camp. Fortune would go on to win the Golden Boot Award at the TACA Governadora Cup with the U-20 team in 2010. Most recently, Fortune participated in an international match with the Brazilian National Team in Boston, Mass., in 2012.
Fortune began her coaching career in 2011 when she served as an assistant coach at Wheaton Academy in West Chicago, Ill. She recently completed her second summer as Camp Director for the Charlotte Eagles.
