Caiya Hanks (born September 26, 2004) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, earning first-team All-American honors after leading Wake Forest to the 2024 national title game.

Early life and college career

Born in California, Hanks moved to Hawaii at age five.[2] She grew up in Kailua-Kona.[3] She began playing soccer in the footsteps of her older sister, Jadyn, who later played college soccer at Idaho.[2] Hanks attended Konawaena High School, where she was an all-state member of the soccer team, winning multiple BIIF titles.[3][4] She also starred on the Konawaena track team, winning the state 200 meters race in her senior year.[5] She played club soccer for Kona Crush.[3] While in college, she would play summer soccer for Tampa Bay United and Racing Louisville in the USL W League.[6][7]

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Hanks started all 22 games and scored 1 goal with 3 assists in her freshman season with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in 2022.[3] She led the team with 6 goals and added 4 assists in 17 games (15 starts) in her sophomore season in 2023, earning second-team All-ACC honors.[3]

During the regular season of her junior year in 2024, Hanks scored twice in a 3–0 win against No. 2–ranked Virginia and days later assisted Emily Colton in a 1–0 win against No. 1 Stanford, which made Wake Forest the first team to defeat the top two ranked teams consecutively. She also scored in a 4–1 win against defending national champions Florida State, which ended their 32–game unbeaten streak.[3][8] She recorded three goals and five assists during the NCAA tournament, including one of each in a 2–2 draw against USC in the quarterfinals (advancing on penalties). She provided the winning assist in a 1–0 semifinal win against Stanford before losing to North Carolina 1–0 in Wake Forest's first national title game.[3] She finished the season with 11 goals and 12 assists in 24 games and was named first-team All-ACC, first-team All-American, and one of three finalists for the Hermann Trophy.[9][10]

Club career

Portland Thorns

Portland Thorns FC announced on March 12, 2025, that they had signed Hanks to a four-year contract with a club option for an additional year.[11]

Honors and awards

Individual

References

  1. ^ Wake Women's Soccer [@WakeWSoccer] (September 26, 2024). "Happy Birthday, Caiya! 🎉" (Tweet). Retrieved March 3, 2025 – via Twitter.
    "Caiya Hanks". SoccerWire. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Jakahi, Kevin (August 26, 2021). "With U.S. club soccer invite, Konawaena's Hanks is keeping her options open". Hawaii Tribune-Herald. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Caiya Hanks". Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  4. ^ Gerhart, Matt (January 26, 2020). "BIIF soccer: Hanks sisters spur Konawaena to Division I repeat". Hawaii Tribune-Herald. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  5. ^ Gerhart, Matt (May 16, 2022). "Outleaned earlier, Hanks not to be denied in the 200". West Hawaii Today. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  6. ^ "Tampa Bay United". USL W League. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  7. ^ "Racing Louisville's W League team nets nine on the road to St. Charles FC". Racing Louisville FC. June 26, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  8. ^ Olorunfemi, Victor (December 3, 2024). "Wake Forest's Path to Women's College Cup". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  9. ^ "Caiya Hanks Named 2024 MAC Hermann Finalist". Wake Forest Demon Deacons. December 11, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  10. ^ Langs, Conor (January 17, 2025). "BI athlete's corner: Hanks nominated for MAC Hermann Trophy". Hawaii Tribune-Herald. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  11. ^ "Portland Thorns FC Sign Forward and 2024 MAC Hermann Finalist Caiya Hanks". Portland Thorns FC. March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caiya_Hanks
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