Celia Clare Gaynor (born March 25, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Fort Lauderdale United FC of the USL Super League. She played college soccer for the Butler Bulldogs and the Michigan State Spartans. She is the sister of soccer player Justina Gaynor.

Early life

Gaynor grew up in Shelby Township, Michigan, where she played club soccer for Nationals DA.[2] She attended high school at the Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy in the nearby town of Pontiac.[3] Gaynor was a three-year starter at Notre Dame prep,[4] contributing largely to two consecutive division championships and a Michigan D2 State title in 2016.[2][5] As a sophomore, she led the team with 19 goals and was named to the all-region and all-district teams at the end of the season.[6] Gaynor reached greater heights the following year, also being named to the all-state team as a junior. In August 2016, Gaynor committed to Butler University.[2]

College career

Butler Bulldogs

Gaynor began play with the Butler Bulldogs in 2018, operating as a midfielder[6] and playing 12 games as a freshman.[2] Her sophomore season started with a bang, with Gaynor netting her first collegiate goal on Butler's opening match of 2019.[7] She would find further offensive success, recording a career-high 17 shots across 19 games. She played one more season with Butler before transferring to Michigan State University.[8] Gaynor graduated from Butler with 41 appearances and, in the academic realm, Summa Cum Laude honors in Strategic Communication and Communication Sciences and Disorders.[2][1]

Michigan State Spartans

In her first season with Michigan State, Gaynor appeared in all 23 matches across the season.[3] The Spartans qualified for the 2022 NCAA Tournament, playing their first-ever NCAA home match against Milwaukee in November 2022. During the match, Gaynor played 25 minutes and scored a goal to help Michigan State secure a 3–2 victory.[3][9] At the end of the season, she was named to the Academic All Big-Ten team.[10]

Gaynor moved to the backline in her final year of college, converting into a defender.[11] She helped Michigan State reach a consecutive NCAA tournament appearance for the second time in history and played all three matches, including MSU's inaugural third-round appearance.[3] Gaynor was named to the All Big-Ten First Team for her efforts.[12] She completed her Michigan State career having helped the team win a conference title in both years,[13] racking up 43 appearances and 5 goals along the way.[3]

Club career

The Chicago Red Stars selected Gaynor in the fourth round of the 2024 NWSL Draft, making her the 45th overall pick of the league's final draft.[14] After training with the Red Stars in preseason, Gaynor was eventually informed that Chicago were not ready to offer her a contract, but could keep her as a non-rostered training player.[4] She was later introduced to an opportunity Fort Lauderdale United FC by Red Stars head coach Lorne Donaldson and departed from Chicago to explore the opportunity in Florida.[4]

Fort Lauderdale United FC

On May 20, 2024, Fort Lauderdale United FC of the USL Super League signed Gaynor to her first professional contract ahead of the league's inaugural season.[15] She started in Fort Lauderdale's first-ever match, a 1–1 draw with Spokane Zephyr FC.[16] As the season progressed, Gaynor cultivated a strong center-back pairing with Laveni Vaka[17][18] and was later named to the USL Super League Team of the Month for October after playing every minute of the month.

Personal life

She is the sister of Chicago Stars FC defender Justina Gaynor. The siblings played together for one season at Butler University and two at Michigan State.[19][20]

Career statistics

Club

As of March 7, 2025[21]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Playoffs Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Fort Lauderdale United FC 2024–25 USL Super League 14 0 14 0
Career total 14 0 14 0

References

  1. ^ a b "Spring 2022 Commencement Program" (PDF). Butler University. p. 32. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Celia Gaynor - 2020-21 - Women's Soccer". Butler University Athletics. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Celia Gaynor - Women's Soccer". Michigan State University Athletics. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "Former Notre Dame Prep, MSU standout Celia Gaynor ready to shine with Fort Lauderdale United FC". The Oakland Press. July 19, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  5. ^ Purcell, Jared (June 15, 2016). "Gaynor's goal lifts Notre Dame Prep soccer to state finals with 1-0 revenge win over Marian". mlive. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Purcell, Jared (April 12, 2017). "Get to know Pontiac Notre Dame Prep soccer stud Celia Gaynor". mlive. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  7. ^ "Butler women's soccer routs Morehead State in season opener". The Butler Collegian. August 23, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  8. ^ Couch, Graham. "Couch: How MSU's women's soccer program so quickly changed course and became Big Ten champions". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  9. ^ Friend, Phil. ""We're not done yet": Camryn Evans' OT goal lifts MSU soccer in NCAA tournament opener". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  10. ^ "$name". MSUToday | Michigan State University. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  11. ^ "Celia Gaynor selected by Chicago Red Stars in NWSL 2024 draft". The State News. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  12. ^ "Big Ten Conference Announces 2023 Women's Soccer Postseason Honors". Big Ten Conference. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  13. ^ "Celia Gaynor selected by Chicago Red Stars in NWSL 2024 draft". The State News. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  14. ^ "Celia Gaynor selected by Chicago Red Stars in NWSL 2024 draft". The State News. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  15. ^ "Fort Lauderdale United FC boosts defense with signing of Celia Gaynor". USL Super League. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  16. ^ "Match Center - Spokane Zephyr FC vs Fort Lauderdale United FC". USL Super League. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  17. ^ "Fort Lauderdale United FC suffers first defeat at their new stadium". Sports Action Rundown. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  18. ^ Morrissey, John. "USL Super League Power Rankings: inaugural edition!". www.usltactics.com. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  19. ^ "Justina Gaynor - Women's Soccer". Michigan State University Athletics. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  20. ^ "Chicago Stars FC Signs Defender, Justina Gaynor". Chicago Stars. March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  21. ^ Celia Gaynor at Soccerway
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