Cecil A Finalist For US Soccer Young Female Player Of The Year

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Pearl Cecil, a freshman on the Virginia women’s soccer team, is one of five finalists for US Soccer’s Young Female Player of the Year it was announced by the organization on Monday (Dec. 1) as voting has gone live for its end of year awards.

The awards recognize the top performers from US Soccer’s men’s and women’s teams throughout the year. Cecil is the only collegiate player among the five finalists for the Young Female Player of the Year.

Fans have the opportunity to vote for all Player of the Year and the Game of the Year awards at ussoccer.com.

The fan vote will account for 15 percent of the overall vote tally, with the rest coming from National Team players that earned a cap in 2025, professional league coaches, media, U.S. Soccer Board of Directors and the Athletes’ Council. All Player of the Year finalists were selected based on performance in 2025, with emphasis placed on play with their respective National Team.

Cecil was a key contributor for the U.S. U-17 WNT this year. She started all 15 matches she played for the U-17s, helping earn eight shutouts and providing one goal and one assist. She also served as team captain during the U17 FIFA Women’s World Cup and during the Concacaf Qualifying Tournament. As a true freshman at Virginia, she helped the Hoos earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, provided an assist in the 5-0 first-round shutout win over High Point and helped Virginia down No. 8 seed Penn State to advance to the Sweet 16. She scored her first collegiate goal in a win over Xavier.