Leah Klenke
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
_15_(Klenke).jpg) Klenke with Notre Dame in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leah Michelle Klenke[1] | ||
| Date of birth | June 21, 2004[2] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Left back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Houston Dash | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2025 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 78 | (5) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2026– | Houston Dash | 4 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023–2024 | United States U-20 | 18 | (0) |
| 2026– | United States U-23 | 3 | (0) |
Medal record | |||
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of March 14, 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 14:11, March 8, 2026 (UTC) | |||
Leah Michelle Klenke (born June 21, 2004) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a left back for the Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, earning first-team All-American honors in 2025. She won bronze with the United States at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.
Klenke grew up in Houston, Texas, the daughter of parents who attended the University of Notre Dame.[3] She attended Saint Agnes Academy, a Dominican girls' school, where she was part of the soccer, track and field, and cross country teams.[3] She was named first-team all-state and won TAPPS state titles in all three sports,[3] including the 800 meter, 1600 meter, and 3200 meter triple crown in 2021.[4] She played club soccer for the Albion Hurricanes, earning multiple ECNL all-conference honors.[3] She committed to Notre Dame as a freshman.[5]
College career
Klenke started 78 games and scored 5 goals for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 2022 to 2025.[3] Recruited as a left wingback, she was also used as a center back by head coach Nate Norman.[6] In 2022, as a freshman, she joined upperclassmen Eva Gaetino and Waniya Hudson on the back line, helping the Irish lead the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in shutout percentage.[3] The team reached the ACC tournament semifinals and earned a one seed in the NCAA tournament, making the quarterfinals.[3] Klenke was named to the ACC all-freshman team and ranked by TopDrawerSoccer as the seventh-best freshman in the country.[7] In 2023, she led the Irish with 10 assists (fourth in the ACC) to finish second in the conference standings, earning second-team All-ACC honors.[3] After missing about a month while at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, she was named first-team All-ACC as a junior and helped the Irish to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals in 2024.[3] In 2025, she again helped the Irish to second in the ACC standings and reached a program first ACC tournament final.[8] Notre Dame earned the overall top seed in the NCAA tournament but were upset in the second round.[3] Klenke was named first-team All-ACC for the second time and earned first-team All-American recognition.[3]
Club career
Hometown club Houston Dash announced on January 8, 2026, that they had signed Klenke to her first professional contract on a three-year deal.[9] She made her professional debut in the season opener on March 14, playing the entire match in a 1–0 win over the San Diego Wave.[10]
International career
Klenke was called into training camp with the United States under-14 team in 2018.[11] She was next called into a combined under-18/under-19 camp in early 2023.[12] Later that year, she played at the 2023 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship, where the United States U-20s secured qualification for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.[13] She appeared as a substitute for right back Gisele Thompson in every match at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, helping the United States finish in third place, its best result since 2012.[14][15] She converted her penalty kick in a shootout win over Germany in the quarterfinals.[14]
