Love off the pitch
“…and lastly, we’ll need to keep track of their endurance, so each player will get one of these monitors to wear during all of their tests,” Dawn said, finishing her presentation.
Clarke nodded her head, placing the pen behind her ear after she had finished taking notes on what Dawn was saying. Raven shot Dawn a thumbs up, causing the fitness trainer to just roll her eyes.
“New year, new physical tests,” Raven sighed, standing up from her chair and stretching her arms.
“Fun times,” Dawn said, smirking.
Raven snorted. “For you, you evil queen. It’s hard for me to even watch those beep tests,” she said, shaking her head.
Clarke shuddered, remembering Octavia coming home from her very first beep test back in college, collapsing on the couch and not moving for the rest of the night. “Yeah, no. I’m glad I’m not a professional athlete. I hate running in any capacity,” she said, putting her clipboard back in her bag.
“Didn’t you play soccer?” Dawn asked.
“Yeah, until she realized that she hates running in any capacity,” Raven quipped, yelping as Clarke swatted her on the arm.
Dawn chuckled at the two friends, amusement shining in her eyes. She had to admit, bringing Clarke into their team had only made them run smoother—everything was more organized and the team worked together well, probably a result of Clarke and Raven’s already established relationship.
“Well, I’d much rather be watching the running than doing it,” Clarke agreed.
“You mean you’d rather be watching Lexa run,” Raven muttered. “Damn, that girl has some legs.”
“Raven!” Clarke hissed, swatting her friend again.
Dawn burst out into laughter this time, catching the attention of the two friends.
She and the rest of the coaching staff hadn’t been blind to Lexa’s growing feelings for the team doctor. At first they had been wary, but it wasn’t their place to say anything about the personal relationships their player’s kept. But as they noticed the new team doctor and their star midfielder grow closer, they also noticed an elevation in Lexa’s play—it’s like the midfielder had discovered a whole other level. While Dawn wasn’t sure how much that had to do with Clarke’s influence, she was nevertheless thrilled that Lexa had found someone who made her happy.
Plus, Dawn had taken a liking to the blonde doctor, especially after discovering what a great addition to her training staff Clarke was. Well, that, and it was always amusing to see Lexa Woods, star of the USWNT and one of the best midfielders in the world, go from the stoic Commander to an awkward, clumsy girl with a crush around Clarke.
“It’s ok, Dr. Griffin,” Dawn said, still chuckling. “There’s no rule that says who our players can and cannot date.”
“Clarke,” the blonde doctor corrected automatically, blushing lightly as she fiddled with the zipper of her jacket. “Right, sorry,” she said. “It’s just…umm, you know. Because I’m the team doctor, or whatever…”
“It’s really ok, Clarke,” Dawn repeated. “As long as it isn’t directly detrimental to the organization of the team, you can do anything you want.”
“Or anyone she wants,” Raven muttered.
“Raven!” Clarke hissed again.
Raven held her hands up innocently as Clarke just sighed, and Dawn let out another chuckle at the two friend’s antics before gathering her stuff. “Ok, well the team should be finished with their lunch by now, so I’m going to go meet with Jill and give her an updated schedule of when we’re doing each physical test. I’ll see you two bright and early tomorrow morning.”
Clarke waved goodbye, and Raven saluted at her boss as Dawn left. The doctor gathered her things, putting the rest of her papers in her bag before grabbing Raven’s cane and handing it to the other girl, who nodded in thanks.
“So, that was properly mortifying,” Clarke commented, slipping her bag over her shoulder.
Raven snorted, zipping up her jacket. “Dawn is on the level, Griff,” she said. “If you’ve got her seal of approval, you’re golden. And it’ll probably be a big relief off of your girlfriend’s shoulders. That girl could seriously stress about anything.”
“Not my girlfriend,” Clarke mumbled, starting towards the door.
Raven rolled her eyes, following the other girl through the doorway. “Semantics,” she said. “Now can we please go get some ice cream? Also, I saw a movie theater around the corner and since we have the rest of the day off…”
“As you wish,” Clarke teased, laughing as Raven reached her cane out to tap the doctor from behind.
“You’re the only princess here, Buttercup,” Raven shot back, and Clarke just laughed again before the two fell into step together, heading down the hallway to the elevators.
* *
“Rawr! Rawr! Raaaawr!”
Lexa’s face broke out into a smile, but she didn’t turn around, even though she knew the sight that would greet her would be the absolute cutest thing in the world. She deliberately looked up and around the table, her teammates grinning at her as Lexa continued to exaggeratedly search for something.
“Raaaawr!”
“Anya, do you hear that?” Lexa asked, looking at her cousin who was seated next to her.
Anya, for her part, smirked at the other girl before taking another bite of her salad. “Sounds kind of like a…cat?” she asked, shrugging her shoulders.
“Rawr! Rawr!”
“No, no,” Lexa said, shaking her head. “It sounds like a…dog? Or maybe a bear?”
“Could be a lion?” Anya suggested, continuing to play along.
The rest of the table were in fits of laughter as Lexa and Anya continued their banter, the noise behind them rising in volume, growing louder (well, as loud as a six-year-old’s voice could actually be).
“Maybe it’s a tiger?”
“Or some other big cat.”
“RAAAAAWR!”
Finally, Lexa turned in her seat, eyes widening comically as she gasped, clutching her chest. “Oh my—it’s a dinosaur!” she exclaimed. Kellan Morgan-Heath stood behind her chair, hands in the air, fingers curled slightly to mimic claws and her eyes narrowed as she stared at the soccer player in what Lexa was sure an attempt to be intimidating, but really made her look even cuter. “A tiny, tiny dinosaur!”
Kellan’s eyes widened, and she stomped one of her little feet against the floor. “I’m not tiny Auntie Lexa! I’m big dinosaur!”
It took all of Lexa’s effort to not burst out laughing—this adorable little girl, who was wearing her U.S. Soccer hat she never seemed to be without, covered in signatures from her moms’ teammates, sitting backwards on her head. She had on toddler sized nike shorts that only Alex Morgan’s child would probably own, and a Becky Sauerbrunn t-shirt that was obviously one of the little girl’s favorites, the faded design on the front a sign from having been run through the washing machine numerous times.
Lexa smiled at the little girl, nodding her head as she agreed. “I’m sorry munchkin, I meant you’re a big dinosaur!”
Kellan huffed before moving forward and scrambling up onto soccer player’s lap. The little girl plopped down with a sigh, leaning back into the comfort of her aunt as Lexa’s arms wrapped around Kellan.
“What’s up kiddo?” Lexa asked, frowning slightly as she took in the seemingly defeated posture of the little girl. She thought it was a bit strange, since Kellan would usually draw out their dinosaur game, roaring at Lexa until the two of them dissolved into a fit of giggles.
“Hallie not here,” Kellan said sadly, and Lexa felt her heart break a little as the little girl let out another tiny sigh.
Lexa held the little girl a little tighter, dropping a kiss on top of her head. Kellan had accompanied her moms to their January camp, which wasn’t unusual, but Kellan wasn’t usually the only one. While it was true that when Kelley, Sydney and Heather reported to training camp Chloe, Vanessa and Kaitlin usually stayed with their other parent, Hallie’s moms had both been on the team like Kellan’s were, and little Hallie usually accompanied Ashlyn and Ali for the month. Kellan and Hallie would stay with the team nanny while their moms had training, and the team loved to have them around during their off time.
But the victory tour had ended in December, and preparations for the Olympics were in full swing with the start of January camp, which meant Ashlyn and Ali had officially retired. So had Carli and Heather, retiring during different stops of the victory tour, in the state of their respective hometowns. It had been particularly hard for Lexa to watch her mentors say goodbye to the game. She had shed her fair share of tears, crying particularly hard after Carli’s last game, when Carli had been subbed out for the final time and before walking to the bench, attached the captain’s armband to Lexa’s arm with a firm hug and pat on the back that spoke louder than any words ever could.
Lexa was officially one of the veterans on the team, and though she might have been considered that before this moment, when Carli and Heather and Ali and Ashlyn were still on the team, it didn’t seem like such a big deal. Now, however—she was considered a seasoned veteran, up there with Becky, Alex, Tobin, Kelley, and the rest of the players who still remained from the 15ers. And though they hadn’t said it out loud, she knew that for a lot of them this would be their last Olympics. It made her sad to think about, but as she continued to work with Octavia and the rest of the new players she could see that the future of the team did indeed look bright.
“Auntie Lex?” she heard Kellan ask, knocking her out of her thoughts. She looked down, the little girl’s head tilted back so she could look at her aunt.
“Yes, munchkin?” Lexa asked, smiling softly at the little girl.
She released Kellan from her hold as the girl scrambled once more on Lexa’s lap until she was turned around, facing the soccer player. The little girl put her small hands on Lexa’s cheeks, and the soccer player let out a chuckle as she adjusted Kellan’s hat so it was sitting straight on her head.
Kellan stared at Lexa for a beat, hands on either side of Lexa’s face.
“We go get ice cream?” Kellan asked seriously, eyes wide.
Lexa laughed then, scooping the little girl into her arms and peppering her face with kisses. She couldn’t help it—Kellan was so freaking cute, and the little girl shrieked with laughter, mixing with Lexa’s as she tickled Kellan’s stomach. Lexa stopped to let Kellan catch her breath, and she tapped the little girl on the nose lightly with her finger.
“Of course we can go get ice cream,” Lexa said, smiling.
“Yay!” Kellan exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. “I want chocolate!”
“Chocolate is the best,” Lexa agreed, picking Kellan up and putting her back down until the little girl was standing on the ground, before standing up herself. She felt small weights on top of her feet, and just shook her head with a smile as Kellan reached for her hands. She let the little girl adjust her feet on top of Lexa’s own, holding Kellan’s hands as she took a step forward, the little girl catching a ride on top of her aunt’s feet. “Let’s go tell your mommies we’re going to get some ice cream.”
“Ice cream!” Kellan repeated, smiling up at Lexa as the soccer player continued across the room, heading towards where Alex and Tobin were sitting with Julie and Christen.
“Mama! Auntie Lexa and I going now!” Kellan said excitedly once they reached the table, catching the attention of the four occupants.
“Oh really?” Alex asked, grinning at her daughter before raising her eyebrow at Lexa. “And where exactly are you going?”
“Ice cream!” Kellan answered happily, blissfully unaware of the sheepish grin Lexa had on her face as Alex just shook her head, fully aware that her daughter had the stoic, serious Commander wrapped around her finger.
“Is this just an Auntie Lexa and Kellan trip?” Tobin asked, catching the attention of her daughter. “Or can mommies come?”
“Mama and mommy and Aunt Juju and Aunt Chris!” Kellan said all in one breath, her little face sporting a large grin.
JJ and Christen laughed, smiling fondly at the little girl as Tobin chuckled as well. Alex just sighed, a smile on her face as she grabbed her daughter’s jacket from the seat next to her and handed it to Lexa, who helped Kellan put it on.
“Well, let’s get some ice cream then,” Alex said, standing up. Tobin, Julie and Christen followed her lead, and the group of them headed towards the exit, Kellan talking excitedly to Julie and Christen about something from her perch on Lexa’s shoulders, where she had decided she wanted to sit on the way to the ice cream shop that was a few blocks from the hotel.
* *
“Clarke!”
Clarke turned around at the sound of her name, and broke out into a grin when she spotted who had called her. Kellan Morgan-Heath was waving furiously from where she was perched on Lexa’s shoulders, the both of them grinning at the doctor. Alex, Tobin, Julie and Christen were with them, all smiling as Clarke and Raven approached the group.
“Fancy seeing you here,” Lexa said, wiggling her eyebrows at the other girl.
Clarke just rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her face as she leaned over and gave Lexa a quick kiss on the cheek. “Well if it isn’t my favorite dinosaur,” she said, shooting Lexa a wink before turning her attention back to the little girl who was signaling that she wanted to get down. She reached up and grabbed Kellan from Lexa’s shoulders, setting her down. “This is a very nice surprise,” she continued, smiling as Kellan slipped a tiny hand into her own.
“How’s it going, doc?” Tobin asked, flashing her a peace sign. “Raven?”
“We just came to get ice cream to quell Clarke’s embarrassment,” Raven said, and Clarke whipped her head around to give her a warning glare. But that had never stopped her best friend before, so naturally Raven continued, unperturbed. “Dawn called out Clarke for dating Lexa like, five minutes ago.”
The rest of the group held in their laughter as Clarke groaned, rubbing her forehead with her hand while Lexa’s ears turned a slight shade of pink.
“Come on, daughter of mine,” Tobin said, chuckling as she picked Kellan up and rested her on her hip. “Let’s get in line.”
“Ice cream!” Kellan cheered, snuggling into her mom’s side and waving at Clarke and Raven as they moved past them. Alex smiled fondly at the two before following, Julie and Christen each giving Lexa a wink before shuffling over towards the line.
“I’m gonna go…over there,” Raven said, pointing to the line. “Banana split, right Griff?”
Clarke nodded before turning back to Lexa, who was still smiling at her.
“You know, I’m not sure your doctor would approve of you eating ice cream the day before your physical fitness testing…” Clarke said, tapping her finger against her chin.
Lexa chuckled, stepping closer to the other girl and placing her hands on Clarke’s waist. “You try saying no to Kellan,” she scoffed. She pulled Clarke a little bit closer, smiling as she felt the doctor’s arms wrap around her neck.
“The almighty Commander, taken down by a six-year-old?” Clarke teased. “What would your fans say if—mmphh”
Clarke blinked in surprise as Lexa’s face was suddenly right in front of hers, the doctor’s sentence cut off as the soccer player connected their lips. She felt Lexa smile into the kiss, causing her to chuckle against the other girl’s lips before bringing her hand up, wrapping it around Lexa’s upper arm. Clarke pulled back slightly, and she smiled as Lexa’s nose rubbed against hers, the soccer player switching her angle before capturing Clarke’s lips once more in a soft kiss, the smallest amount of pressure against the doctor’s lips.
“Hi,” Lexa whispered as they broke apart softly.
Clarke sighed, cupping the back of Lexa’s neck and playing with the baby hairs there. “Hi,” she breathed out, smiling as the soccer player placed another soft kiss on the corner of her mouth before leaning back.
“How’s your day going, doc?” Lexa asked, taking another step back so there was some space between them. She was suddenly very aware that they were in public, standing in an ice cream shop with her teammates only a few feet away from them. So wrapped up in the other girl’s presence, Clarke had the tendency to make Lexa forget about her immediate surroundings. Lexa gave a sheepish grin, which turned into a full-blown smile when Clarke reached down and linked their fingers together.
“Great,” Clarke answered, squeezing Lexa’s hand softly. “Getting better by the second.”
Lexa snorted, covering her mouth with her other hand. “That was so cheesy, Clarke.”
Clarke pouted as Lexa laughed at her. “I thought it was sort of smooth.”
“Definitely not,” Lexa said, shaking her head. She led Clarke through the door and to an empty table large enough for everyone to sit. “It was so cheesy I’m actually kind of offended.”
“Oh, I forgot,” Clarke said, smacking her forehead with her palm exaggeratedly. “You’re the dorky one in this relationship.”
“Excuse you,” Lexa responded, feigning offense. “I am not dorky. And furthermore—wait a second, relationship?” she asked, raising an eyebrow in question.
Clarke opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a familiar little voice.
“Clarke! Auntie Lexa!”
The two girls turned their heads to see Kellan heading towards their table, and immediately burst into laughter at the ice cream smeared across the little girl’s face as she held a cone of chocolate ice cream in one hand and Tobin’s hand in her other.
“Chocolate!” the little girl continued happily, letting go of her mother’s hand and running towards her Aunt and her new friend.
“Whoa, hey munchkin!” Lexa said, lifting the little girl up and placing her on the bench in between Clarke and herself. “I see you’re enjoying your ice cream,” she said, taking off Kellan’s hat and brushing the loose hairs that had fallen in front of the little girl’s face back, before putting the hat back on her head.
Kellan smiled happily, nodding her head as she continued to eat her ice cream. The rest of Lexa’s teammates sat down around the table, all chatting happily.
“Umm, excuse me?”
The players stopped talking as Lexa turned, three young girls standing in front of her.
“We were wondering…if we could possibly get a picture with you guys?” one of the girls asked, fiddling with the bottom of her shirt.
“Sure, sweetie,” Julie answered, smiling. Christen and Julie stood, Alex and Tobin following as they walked around the table.
“Clarke, could you…” Lexa trailed off, gesturing towards Kellan. She didn’t want Alex and Tobin’s daughter in fan photos she knew would be posted all over the internet within minutes of their meeting, and saw Tobin nod gratefully at her teammate as the soccer players all grouped together around the fans.
Clarke nodded, grinning.
“Thanks, Clarke. Sorry about this,” Lexa said sheepishly, standing up.
“Not a problem, Lex,” Clarke said, giving the soccer player’s hand a reassuring squeeze before dropping it.
She scooped the little girl up in her arms, Kellan pausing in her eating as she offered the cone out to the doctor. Clarke laughed, shaking her head. “No thank you, cutie,” she said, standing up and bringing Kellan off to the side of the table as Lexa walked to the group. The players stood together as the teenagers took their phones out, and Clarke watched with Kellan perched happily against her hip as the player’s signed the girl’s shirts.
“Crazy, huh?” Raven asked, coming up from behind Clarke to stand next to her friend.
Clarke watched as more people recognized the soccer stars, approaching them. The players were all smiles, signing autographs and posing for pictures.
“Yeah, crazy,” Clarke agreed absentmindedly. She watched as one girl talked animatedly with Lexa, making the soccer player laugh before she pulled the young girl into a hug. She blinked a few times as Tobin approached her, smiling.
“Hey there kiddo, let’s not spill ice cream on Doctor Clarke’s clothes, huh?” Tobin commented, nodding her head in thanks as Clarke transferred Kellan to her. “Sorry about all this, Clarke. I’d like to say this doesn’t happen all that often but…” she trailed off, shrugging her shoulders.
Clarke shook her head, waving off Tobin’s comment with a smile. “You guys are role models for so many girls across the whole world,” she said. “I think it’s really wonderful how you guys respond to your fans.”
“Yeah, it’s rewarding but it can be a bit exhausting,” Tobin sighed, gesturing to her wife who was surrounded by fans. Lexa, Christen and Julie all had people around them still too, and Clarke caught Lexa’s eyes over the growing crowd. Lexa gave Clarke an apologetic smile, and Clarke just smiled back, nodding her head.
“Hey Princess,” Raven said, knocking Clarke’s shoulder with her own. “We better eat this ice cream on the way to the theater.”
“Going to the movies?” Tobin asked, wiping her daughter’s face with a napkin. Kellan had managed to get ice cream on her cheeks, and it was possibly the cutest thing Clarke had ever seen.
“Yeah,” Clarke confirmed. “We should take off…the preview starts in about twenty minutes and Raven gets cranky when she misses them.”
“Hey, I paid for a movie, I’m gonna watch the whole thing, previews included,” Raven ranted, and Clarke rolled her eyes, having heard the spiel before.
“Do you think you can tell Lexa…?” Clarke trailed off, gesturing in the direction of the soccer player.
Tobin nodded her head, transferring Kellan to her other hip. “No problem,” the soccer player said. “I’m not sure how long this will actually take…but I’ll let her know you had to leave.”
Clarke nodded her thanks before tapping lightly on the bill of Kellan’s hat. “See you later, kiddo,” Clarke said, smiling when the little girl grinned widely up at her.
“Bye!” Kellan yelled as Clarke and Raven walked away, making the two laugh. Clarke took one last look at Lexa, who was absorbed in a conversation with a few teens. She smiled, feeling proud of the soccer player, before facing forward.
“I’m going to eat this whole thing if you don’t get in on this, Clarke,” Raven said through a mouthful of ice cream.
Clarke just rolled her eyes, but smiled at her friend before plucking the spoon from Raven’s hand and digging in.
* *
“Holy….shit…” Lexa panted out, collapsing on the ground next to Alex. “How…is…your…wife…still…going…?”
“She has excellent stamina,” Alex replied, smirking as she took a sip from her water bottle.
“Gross,” Lexa said, scrunching her nose, before sitting up to grab her own water bottle. She watched as Tobin raised her hand to indicate that she could go another round. Though her lungs were slightly burning, she was satisfied knowing the dreaded beep test was over and done with.
“One more, Tobs!” she heard Kelley call out, and Alex clapped next to her.
“You got it, Tobin!” Lexa called out, clapping with the rest of her teammates. She smiled as Tobin seemed to catch a second (or possibly third, or fourth, or fifth) wind, making it over the line before the beep. The soccer player put her hands on the top of her head, taking in deep breaths of air.
“And Tobin has officially set the new record on the beep test with 70!” Dawn called out, and the team whooped and hollered, Alex winking down at Lexa before walking over to her wife, handing her a bottle of water.
“Ok, that’s all for today,” Dawn said, writing something on her clipboard. “Remember to check the schedule to see what day your appointment with Dr. Griffin is. I don’t have to remind any of you to be on time.” She looked up from her paper, raising an eyebrow. “I expect you all to continue to behave professionally during training hours,” she continued, smirking in Lexa’s direction.
Lexa cleared her throat, looking with renewed interest at her water bottle as her teammates snickered all around her.
“Ok, get out of here everyone,” Jill called out. “Team dinner tonight!”
Lexa looked up as she felt a pat on her back, and scowled at the smirk Anya had on her face.
“Come on, Commander,” her cousin said, slinging her arm around Lexa’s shoulders. “We’re doing a Monopoly deal tournament in my room. Winner gets the last blue Gatorade.”
Lexa just sighed, knowing that she probably wouldn’t get to see Clarke until the next day. The doctor was busy all day going over the results of the fitness tests with Dawn and Raven and the rest of the training staff. She nodded her head, following the rest of her teammates towards the exit.
“Hey Lexa!” Octavia yelled, jogging over to the Woods cousins and bumping the midfielder’s shoulder with her own. “You ready to get your ass kicked?”
Lexa quirked her eyebrow, narrowing her eyes at the younger girl. “I’m going to let that comment slide because you’re somewhat new here, and clearly have not been witness to exactly how good I am at this game,” she said, pushing Anya’s arm away from her shoulders as her cousin laughed.
“Not as good as me,” Alex yelled back towards the group, all of them cracking up as Lexa just stuck her tongue out at them.
“I hate you all,” Lexa deadpanned. She rolled her eyes, but nevertheless walked outside towards the team bus with a smile on her face, Anya’s arm once again flung over her shoulder.
* *
“I swear to—ok, one of these days, Morgan,” Lexa scowled, throwing her cards down on the table. “One of these days I will beat you.”
“I mean, it’s actually pretty impressive that you’ve lost to her every single time you’ve played against her,” Octavia commented, shrugging.
“Shut up,” Lexa muttered, crossing her arms.
“Aww, cheer up Lex,” Anya said, patting her cousin on the head. “Maybe next time.”
“Probably not though,” Alex quipped, the rest of the table laughing.
The team had in fact held a Monopoly Deal tournament after training, each of them going back to their rooms at some point to shower and change before dinner. Now they were all sitting in the designated room the hotel had given them for their meals, waiting for the food to be put out. Lexa had insisted on one more game though, after Alex had beaten her for the third time that day, and had brought the deck of cards downstairs with them.
She opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted when Tobin appeared at the table, Kellan balanced in one arm and a magazine in the other.
“Lexa,” Tobin said, voice tinged with a seriousness that rarely appeared in the older woman’s tone. “You need to see this.”
Tobin and Kelley had forgone the Monopoly Deal tournament, and instead had taken Kellan to the park. They must have just gotten back, as Tobin took a seat next to her wife and offered the magazine to Lexa.
Lexa furrowed her eyebrows, face set in confusion as she took the item from her teammate’s hand. It was already open, and her eyes widened when she saw that she was looking at a page-long spread about the team, with a picture of her at the very top. Her eyes jumped lower to the page where she spotted another picture, one of her and Clarke holding hands as they exited the ice cream shop from earlier in the week. Another smaller picture showed Lexa with a wide smile on her face, Clarke kissing her cheek. Her eyes scanned the title, ignoring the questions from her teammates around her as she took in the headline: U.S. Soccer stars enjoy day off during training camp
She flicked her eyes back to her teammates, who were eyeing her with concern before turning her attention back to the article.
Love off the pitch:
Usually very tight lipped about her personal life, Lexa Woods—also known as her fierce on-the-field alter ego “The Commander”—enjoys a rare day off during January Camp as the U.S. Women’s National Team prepares for Olympic Qualifying.
With the start of the new year comes the start of another Olympic season, and the road to the Olympics have officially begun for reigning gold medal champions, the United States Women’s National Team.
The players headed down to Southern California last week for a month long training camp in sunny Los Angeles. Among the players called up were several familiar faces, including Alex Morgan-Heath, Becky Sauerbrunn, and of course, star midfielder Lexa Woods.
Lexa Woods is somewhat of an enigma—when she was first called up to the senior national team, Woods was just a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At the young age of 19, she burst onto the scene, stealing the show with her crafty play and commanding presence in the midfield.
Woods became a household name after helping the team bring home another World Cup as the public quickly fell in love with the young player. Now, at the age of 26, Woods is a seasoned veteran on the team, known as one of the players that will help lead the team to another Olympic gold medal.
The star midfielder is a role model off the field as well—Woods is an active member of the LGBT community, openly coming out as gay in her early years with the team, as well as a part of the charity To Write Love On Her Arms, working closely with former teammate Ashlyn Harris. However, while she interacts with her fans across social media platforms, Woods is careful not to reveal anything in regards to her personal life.
Until now, that is.
Woods and her teammates were spotted at an ice cream shop in downtown LA, and were kind enough to stop and take pictures and sign autographs for those lucky fans who happened to be in the area. While it is not uncommon to find Woods in the company of her teammates, onlookers captured pictures that have since gone viral of the soccer star and her new girlfriend.
While it is uncertain at this time the identity of the soccer star’s companion, it is the first time since joining the team that Woods has given any sort of glimpse into her personal life.
We wish the young soccer star good luck on the road to the Olympics, and with what seems to be her brand new relationship. It’s safe to say Woods will once again remain in the spotlight, both for her ability on the field as well as her persona off of it.
Lexa finished the article, looking up once more to meet the concerned eyes of her teammates. She put the magazine down before closing her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose.
It was silent as everyone waited for Lexa to say something. She sighed, opening her eyes as she leaned back in her seat.
“Fuck.”