Zola Springer
{{Short description|American soccer player (born 1972)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Zola Springer
| image =
| caption =
| height = {{Height|ft=5|in=4}}
| full_name = N. Zola Solamente
| birth_name = Carolyn Anne Springer{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/commencement19911991univ/page/70 |title=The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: 189th Commencement (1991) |publisher=University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |page=71 |year=1991 |access-date=August 26, 2019}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1972|9|21}}
| birth_place = Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
| position = Defender
| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–1990
| youthclubs1 = St. Andrew's Lions
| collegeyears1 = 1990–1993
| college1 = North Carolina Tar Heels
| collegecaps1 = 94
| collegegoals1 = 8
| years1 = 1998
| clubs1 = Raleigh Wings{{cite web |url=http://www.raleighwings.com/w98stats.html |title=1998 Wings Player Stats |publisher=Raleigh Wings |access-date=2023-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990224102731/http://www.raleighwings.com/w98stats.html |archive-date=1999-02-24}}
| caps1 = 8
| goals1 = 0
| nationalyears1 = 1992–1993
| nationalteam1 = United States
| nationalcaps1 = 9
| nationalgoals1 = 0
}}
N. Zola Solamente (born Carolyn Anne Springer; September 21, 1972) is an American former soccer player who played as a defender, making nine appearances for the United States women's national team.
Career
Springer played for St. Andrew's Lions in middle and high school.{{cite news |url=https://www.saes.org/news-detail?pk=871476 |title=Athletics Hall of Fame: Spotlight on Carolyn Springer '90 |website=St. Andrew's Episcopal School |date=September 15, 2016 |access-date=August 26, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826074046/https://www.saes.org/news-detail?pk=871476 |archive-date=August 26, 2019}} She also played basketball and ran track in high school. In college, she played for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1990 to 1993, winning the NCAA championship in all four seasons. She was an All-American in 1993, being included in the Soccer News first team and NSCAA second team. She was also included in the All-ACC Selection from 1991 to 1993, the ACC All-Tournament Selection in 1993, and was included in the NCAA All-Tournament Team in 1990, 1992, and 1993.{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/unc.sidearmsports.com/documents/2019/8/16/2019MediaGuide.pdf |title=2019 North Carolina Women's Soccer Media Guide |website=North Carolina Tar Heels |date=August 16, 2019 |access-date=August 17, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817050919/https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/unc.sidearmsports.com/documents/2019/8/16/2019MediaGuide.pdf |archive-date=August 17, 2019}} In total, she scored 8 goals and recorded 9 assists in 94 appearances for the Tar Heels.{{cite web |url=https://unc_ftp.sidearmsports.com/custompages/women's_soccer/1990stats.pdf |title=University of North Carolina: 1990 Women's Soccer Statistics |website=North Carolina Tar Heels |year=1990 |access-date=August 26, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426182447/https://unc_ftp.sidearmsports.com/custompages/women's_soccer/1990stats.pdf |archive-date=April 26, 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://unc_ftp.sidearmsports.com/custompages/women's_soccer/1991stats.pdf |title=University of North Carolina: 1991 Women's Soccer Statistics |website=North Carolina Tar Heels |year=1991 |access-date=August 26, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426182443/https://unc_ftp.sidearmsports.com/custompages/women's_soccer/1991stats.pdf |archive-date=April 26, 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://unc_ftp.sidearmsports.com/custompages/women's_soccer/1992stats.pdf |title=University of North Carolina: 1992 Women's Soccer Statistics |website=North Carolina Tar Heels |year=1992 |access-date=August 26, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426182440/https://unc_ftp.sidearmsports.com/custompages/women's_soccer/1992stats.pdf |archive-date=April 26, 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://unc_ftp.sidearmsports.com/custompages/women's_soccer/1993stats.pdf |title=University of North Carolina: 1993 Women's Soccer Statistics |website=North Carolina Tar Heels |year=1993 |access-date=August 26, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426182437/https://unc_ftp.sidearmsports.com/custompages/women's_soccer/1993stats.pdf |archive-date=April 26, 2019}}
Springer made her international debut for the United States on August 14, 1992 in a friendly match against Norway. In total, she made nine appearances for the U.S., earning her final cap on July 17, 1993 in a friendly match against China PR.{{cite web |url=https://d1dhn91mufybwl.cloudfront.net/downloads/pdfs/fdxnf1dwi/fdxnf1dwi_print.pdf |title=2019 U.S. Women's National Team Media Guide |website=United States Soccer Federation |year=2019 |access-date=August 18, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808074101/https://d1dhn91mufybwl.cloudfront.net/downloads/pdfs/fdxnf1dwi/fdxnf1dwi_print.pdf |archive-date=August 8, 2019}} She also participated in the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival in Denver.
In 2014, Springer began to travel the world to coach youth soccer as a sports envoy for the Sports Diplomacy Office of the U.S. State Department.{{cite news |location=La Paz |url=https://bo.usembassy.gov/two-u-s-former-professional-players-conduct-soccer-clinics-bolivia/ |title=Two U.S. Former Professional Players to Conduct Soccer Clinics in Bolivia |publisher=U.S. Embassy in Bolivia |date=October 29, 2014 |access-date=August 26, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826074316/https://bo.usembassy.gov/two-u-s-former-professional-players-conduct-soccer-clinics-bolivia/ |archive-date=August 26, 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://eca.state.gov/programs-initiatives/initiatives/sports-diplomacy/sports-envoys-and-sports-visitors/sports-and |title=Sports and Public Diplomacy Envoys 2005–2017 |website=Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs |access-date=August 26, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826074456/https://eca.state.gov/programs-initiatives/initiatives/sports-diplomacy/sports-envoys-and-sports-visitors/sports-and |archive-date=August 26, 2019}} As an envoy, she has traveled to Albania, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Jordan, Senegal, Tajikistan, and The Netherlands. She also provides youth soccer clinics in the greater Boston area.{{cite news |url=https://medium.com/u-s-embassy-tirana/u-s-embassy-and-sports-envoys-foster-women-empowerment-and-community-building-in-albania-23c5192bf523 |title=U.S. Embassy and Sports Envoys Foster Women Empowerment and Community Building in Albania |publisher=U.S. Embassy Tirana |date=May 9, 2017 |access-date=August 26, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826074647/https://medium.com/u-s-embassy-tirana/u-s-embassy-and-sports-envoys-foster-women-empowerment-and-community-building-in-albania-23c5192bf523 |archive-date=August 26, 2019}} In 2016, she was inducted into the St. Andrew's Athletic Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Springer is a native of Silver Spring, Maryland.{{cite news |last=Markus |first=Don |location=Denver |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1995-07-21-1995202098-story.html |title=Festival matures into major event |website=The Baltimore Sun |date=July 21, 1995 |access-date=August 26, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826065523/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1995-07-21-1995202098-story.html |archive-date=August 26, 2019}} She was born as Carolyn Springer, and was nicknamed as "Ntozake Zola", though she changed her name to "N. Zola Solamente". She later worked as a painter and director of art gallery in Boston,{{cite book |last=Crothers |first=Tim |title=The Man Watching: Anson Dorrance and the University of North Carolina Women's Soccer Dynasty |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b04z1WUB3wgC&pg=PA314 |page=314 |isbn=9781429946261 |year=2010 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |access-date=August 26, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826075338/https://books.google.com/books?id=b04z1WUB3wgC&pg=PA314 |archive-date=August 26, 2019 |quote=Carolyn Springer, a.k.a. Ntozake Zola, has since changed her name to N. Zola Solamente and is now a painter and art gallery director in Boston. She has one of her paintings displayed in the Dorrance bedroom.}} and has a daughter.{{cite magazine |url=https://issuu.com/richcoco/docs/saes_alumnimag2014_f1 |title=St. Andrew's Alumni Magazine 2014 |publisher=St. Andrew's Episcopal School |page=36 |date=July 8, 2014 |access-date=August 26, 2019 }} [https://archive.org/details/saesalumnimag2014 Alt URL]
Career statistics
=International=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | ||
| colspan=3|United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1992 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 | 8 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 0 |