Allison Whitworth

She capped her Tiger career by setting a school record with 356 saves, including an Southeastern Conference-high of 132 during her senior campaign which still remains an Auburn record.{{Cite web |title=Auburn's Whitworth drafted by FC Gold Pride {{!}} College Soccer |url=https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer-articles/auburns-whitworth-drafted-by-fc-gold-pride_aid7633 |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=TopDrawerSoccer.com |language=en}} The 356 saves place her third in the SEC league record book. She registered 22 career shutouts, including eight during each of her junior and senior years, tied for eighth in SEC history. She received First Team All-SEC honors thanks in part to her 1.02 goals-against average. This was her second league accolade after picking up a Second Team award the previous season. Whitworth was chosen as a SEC Defensive Player of the Week at least once in each of her last three seasons, culminating with winning the award three times as a senior. She saw action in 73 career matches, posting a 1.13 career goals-against average.{{Cite web |title=Allison Whitworth – Soccer Coach |url=https://hailstate.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/coaches/allison-whitworth/2097 |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=Mississippi State |language=en}} After graduating, she became the first Auburn alumni to be drafted into a professional soccer league.{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2013-02-15 |title=Soccer: Ohio Hires Former Goalkeeper As Assistant Coach |url=https://woub.org/2013/02/15/soccer-ohio-hires-former-goalkeeper-assistant-coach/ |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=WOUB Public Media |language=en-US}}

Whitworth's first season of club soccer came in 2008 at the amateur level with the Atlanta Silverbacks in the USL W-League. She amassed a perfect 8–0–0 record with Atlanta during the 2008 USL W-League season, helping propel them to a perfect 13–0–0 record and a playoff berth.

Whitworth was drafted FC Gold Pride after being drafted in the 8th round of the 2009 Women's Professional Soccer Draft ahead of the league and team's inaugural season.{{Cite web |last=WPS |date=16 January 2009 |title=2009 WPS Draft Results |url=http://fancorner.womensprosoccer.com/profiles/blogs/2009-wps-draft-results |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205185935/http://fancorner.womensprosoccer.com/profiles/blogs/2009-wps-draft-results |archive-date=5 February 2009 |website=Women'sProSoccer.com}} She served as backup to United States Women's National Team player Nicole Barnhart during the 2009 WPS season. Her first start came on May 24 in a loss to LA Sol.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=26 May 2009 |title=WPS Weekly May 26, 2009 : It's What's Happening in Women's Pro Soccer |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/184403 |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}} Whitworth saw an improved result when she faced LA Sol next, earning shutout on July 23.{{Cite web |date=2010-06-18 |title=Chicago Red Stars Acquire Atlanta GK Whitworth in Trade |url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/chicago-red-stars-acquire-atlanta-gk-whitworth-in-trade/n-4030873 |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=OurSports Central |language=en}} Whitworth earned the first win of her professional career against the Washington Freedom on August 1.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=4 August 2009 |title=WPS Weekly, August 4th: It's What's Happening in the WPS |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/230580-wps-weekly-august-4th-its-whats-happening-in-the-wps |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}} Over the season she appeared in four matches, allowing five goals and keeping one clean sheet.

Following the 2009 season she was traded on October 29, 2009, sent along with the 23rd pick in the 2010 WPS Draft to the Atlanta Beat for the 10th and 12th picks in the same draft.{{Cite web |last=Kassouf |first=Jeff |date=2010-01-20 |title=Revisiting off-season trades thus far – Equalizer Soccer |url=https://equalizersoccer.com/2010/01/20/revisiting-off-season-trades-thus-far/ |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=equalizersoccer.com |language=en-US}} This trade saw Whitworth return to play soccer in Atlanta just a couple years after featuring for the W-League's Silverbacks.

In 2010 she started three games for the Atlanta Beat, making 22 saves on 29 shots (76% save percentage).{{Cite web |title=2010 (WPS) Atlanta Beat Statistics {{!}} Data |url=https://socceralmanac.com/data/teams/atlanta-beat/wps-2010/ |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=socceralmanac.com}} On June 18, 2010, Whitworth was traded to the Chicago Red Stars after Chicago's Kelsey Davis suffered a season-ending injury.{{Cite web |date=2010-06-18 |title=Red Stars trade for Atlanta keeper Whitworth |url=https://www.espn.com/news/story?id=5303447 |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}} She started one game for Chicago, on July 10, making two saves to earn a shut out for the Red Stars against the defending WPS champions Sky Blue FC.{{Cite web |title=Boxscore |url=http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/boxscores/2010/964335 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806095818/http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/boxscores/2010/964335 |archive-date=6 August 2011 |access-date=6 August 2011 |website=WomensProSoccer.com}}

In 2011 Witworth returned to the Atlanta Beat by the Red Stars,{{Cite web |last=Kassouf |first=Jeff |date=2011-02-24 |title=Atlanta Beat goalkeeper situation finally takes shape – Equalizer Soccer |url=https://equalizersoccer.com/2011/02/24/atlanta-beat-goalkeeper-situation-finally-takes-shape/ |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=equalizersoccer.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2011-04-02 |title=Former Auburn soccer player on Atlanta Beat |url=https://www.wsfa.com/story/14368868/former-auburn-soccer-player-on-atlanta-beat/ |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=WSFA |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2011-02-24 |title=Atlanta Beat Adds 3 Goalkeepers |url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/atlanta-beat-adds-3-goalkeepers/n-4158333 |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=OurSports Central |language=en}} and started eleven matches for the Beat in what was ultimately the final WPS season as well as the final for the Beat as a club.{{Cite web |title=2011 Atlanta Beat Stats |url=http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/atlanta/stats.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110901221222/http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/atlanta/stats.aspx |archive-date=1 September 2011 |access-date=1 September 2011}} She was nominated for goalkeeper of the year following the conclusion of the regular season.{{Cite web |last=Kassouf |first=Jeff |date=2011-08-09 |title=WPS announces year-end awards – Equalizer Soccer |url=https://equalizersoccer.com/2011/08/09/wps-announces-year-end-awards/ |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=equalizersoccer.com |language=en-US}}

Whitworth began her coaching career at Middle Tennessee State University where she was an assistant for two seasons in 2011 and 2012.{{Cite web |date=2011-08-17 |title=Professional goalkeeper Whitworth joins soccer staff |url=https://goblueraiders.com/news/2011/8/17/WSOC_54255 |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=Middle Tennessee State University Athletics |language=en}} The Blue Raiders went 24–14–1 and recorded 14 shutouts along with claiming a 2012 Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship.{{Cite web |title=Allison Whitworth – Women's Soccer Coach |url=https://shcbadgers.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/coaches/allison-whitworth/747 |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=Spring Hill College Athletics |language=en}} Whitworth spent the next 3 years as the goalkeeper coach and recruit coordinator at Ohio University for the Bobcats women's soccer program. Her only experience as a Head Coach came at Spring Hill College spanning the 2016, 2017, and 2018 seasons.{{Cite web |last=Athletics |first=Spring Hill College |date=2015-12-17 |title=Spring Hill names Whitworth new women's soccer coach |url=https://www.al.com/springhill/2015/12/spring_hill_names_whitworth_ne.html |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=al |language=en}} She amassed a record of 2 wins, 46 losses and 4 draws.{{Cite web |title=Women's Soccer All-Time Records – Spring Hill College |url=https://shcbadgers.com/alltime.aspx?path=wsoc&record_type=seasons |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=Spring Hill College Athletics |language=en}} After leaving Spring Hill, Whitworth volunteered to train the goalkeepers at Mississippi State University in 2019.{{Cite web |title=Mississippi State women's soccer adds Allison Whitworth to staff |url=https://www.soccerwire.com/news/mississippi-state-womens-soccer-adds-allison-whitworth-to-staff/ |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=SoccerWire |language=en}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090925150935/http://www.womensprosoccer.com/bayarea/team/bios/allison-whitworth FC Gold Pride player profile]
• [http://auburntigers.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/whitworth_allison00.html Auburn player profile]
• [https://hailstate.com/coaches.aspx?rc=2097&path=wsoc Mississippi State Volunteer Coach]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitworth, Allison}}

Category:Living people

Category:FC Gold Pride players

Category:Atlanta Beat (WPS) players

Category:Chicago Red Stars players

Category:Auburn Tigers women's soccer players

Category:American women's soccer players

Category:21st-century American sportswomen

Category:Women's association football goalkeepers

Category:1985 births

Category:Atlanta Silverbacks Women players

Category:21st-century American women

Category:Women's Professional Soccer players

Category:Association football goalkeeping coaches

Category:Soccer players from Birmingham, Alabama

Category:Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders coaches

Category:Ohio Bobcats coaches

Category:Spring Hill Badgers

Category:Mississippi State Bulldogs women's soccer coaches