- Source: Savannah King (soccer)
Savannah Mckenzie King (born February 7, 2005) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a left back for Bay FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels before being drafted second overall by Bay FC in the 2024 NWSL Draft. She represented the United States at the under-17 and under-20 level, helping win bronze at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.
Early life and college career
King was born in Santa Monica, California, to Karrie King, a former professional cyclist and runner, and Kim Parker King. She grew up in West Hills with her twin brother, Parker. She played multiple sports in her youth, including softball, baseball, and flag football, only taking up soccer at age ten on an AYSO team. She later played club soccer for Real So Cal and then Slammers FC HB Køge, with which she won the ECNL's under-18/19 national title in 2023.
King lettered in four years of track for Agoura High School and set school records in the 200-meter (25.49) and 400-meter dash (56.87). She also played flag football at Agoura and once recorded six interceptions and four touchdowns in a single game. Ranked by TopDrawerSoccer as the top left back of the class of 2023, she committed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in November 2022. She entered into a name, image, and likeness (NIL) agreement with Nike before starting college.
= North Carolina Tar Heels
=King spent one season as a starting center back for North Carolina in 2023. Head coach Anson Dorrance called her performance in the team's scoreless season opener at Penn State the "best first-game performance by a freshman" in program history. In the first three weeks of the season, she was twice named Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Defensive Player of the Week as North Carolina conceded only two goals in its first six games. She led the team in minutes played in her freshman season, which ended in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals, and was named to the ACC all-freshman team and the All-ACC second team.
Club career
= Bay FC
=Bay FC, a new NWSL expansion team, selected King second overall in the 2024 NWSL Draft; she and North Carolina teammate Ally Sentnor were the top two picks. She was signed to a three-year contract. She made her debut in the starting lineup of Bay's first ever game, against Angel City FC, on March 17. She finished her rookie season with 2 assists in 18 appearances (12 starts) as Bay placed 7th of 14 teams.
International career
King was invited to United States national under-15 team training camps in 2019 and 2020. In 2022, she helped the national under-17 team win the 2022 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship to qualify for the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, where she helped the United States advance out of the group stage, though they lost in the first knockout round on penalties. The next year, she was called up to the national under-20 team for the 2023 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship, where as co-captain she helped the United States qualify for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She played almost every minute of the U-20 Women's World Cup, helping the United States finish in third place, its best result since 2012.
Career statistics
= Club
=As of May 11, 2024
Honors and awards
United States U-17
CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship: 2022
United States U-20
CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship: 2023
FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup bronze medal: 2024
Individual
Second-team All-ACC: 2023
ACC all-freshman team: 2023
References
External links
Savy King at Soccerway.com
Savy King at Bay FC