Sarah Rafanelli

Sarah Elizabeth Rafanelli (born June 7, 1972) is an American retired soccer forward and former member of the United States women's national soccer team.

Sarah Rafanelli
Personal information
Full name Sarah Elizabeth Rafanelli[1]
Date of birth (1972-06-07) June 7, 1972
Place of birth Santa Clara, California, U.S.
Height 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)[1]
Position(s) Forward
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1993 Stanford Cardinal
International career
1992–1995 United States 35 (8)
Medal record
FIFA Women's World Cup
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Sweden

Early life

Rafanelli was born in Santa Clara, California to parents, Mark and Pam Rafanelli and is the second of four sisters. She began playing soccer at age eight and played volleyball and tennis at the College Preparatory School in Oakland, joining the school's soccer team late in high school.[2]

Stanford University

Rafanelli attended Stanford University from 1990 to 1993. During her senior year with the Stanford Cardinal, Rafanelli led the team to an 18–2–2 record and trip to the Final Four. She led Stanford in scoring during three of her four seasons with the team, scoring 59 career goals, providing 34 assists for a total of 152 points – all records at the school. In her four years with the Cardinal, the team went 67–9–4 and advanced to the NCAA Playoffs each season.[3]

Rafanelli earned All-American honors in 1992 and 1993 and set a new scoring record that would stand for 17 years until finally being beaten by Christen Press in 2010.[4] The previous scoring record had been set the preceding year by Rafanelli's teammate, Julie Foudy.[3]

Playing career

International

Rafanelli played for the United States women's national soccer team from 1992 to 1995. In 1995, she was part of the team that won bronze at the Women's World Cup.[5][6][7]

Coaching career

Rafanelli was an assistant coach at her alma mater, Stanford University, in 1994.[3][8]

References
  1. U.S. Soccer 1995 Media Guide. Chicago: United States Soccer Federation. 1995. p. 34.
  2. Chapin, Dwight (4 June 1995). "Recognition is their goal". San Francisco Gate. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  3. Migdol, Gary (1997). Stanford: Home of Champions. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 226. ISBN 9781571671165.
  4. "Stanford Star Christen Press". SanJose.com. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  5. Jones, Grahame L. (20 August 1994). "SOCCER : 10–0 Victory Helps U.S. Women Qualify". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  6. "No Loss Of Effort For U.s. Women". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  7. Vecsey, George (24 May 1995). "Sports of The Times; World Champions Older and Wiser?". New York Times. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  8. "Ex-prep stars return for 'reunion'". Palo Alto Weekly. Retrieved 4 April 2013.


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