@fullname - @sport - University of North Carolina Athletics

Photo by: Andy Mead

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

Samantha Leshnak

Position:
Goalkeeper
Height:
5-11
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Liberty Township, Ohio
High School:
Mount Notre Dame

Samantha Leshnak
Dorrance on Samantha: “Samantha Leshnak was a spectacular goal stopper and shot stopper for us last fall. She had a wonderful season for us until the Princeton game. Her issues are not shot stopping, they are not bravery, she has no issues with that and her courage and that sort of thing. Her challenge is decision making so basically she needs to know what to do when she gets the ball and she is really not there with that. If she gets better at that she will have a long and successful professional career.”
Senior Year (2018): UNC’s starting goalkeeper • did not allow a goal in 1,119 minutes and 23 seconds from Texas game on August 22 before conceding in first half of ACC final against Florida State on November 4 • that is the longest individual scoreless streak by a single Tar Heel goalkeeper in history • she passed previous records for scoreless successive minutes set by Anne Sherow in 1987 and Lori Walker in 1989 • began the season alternating halves in goal for Tar Heels with freshman Claudia Dickey • has six solo shutouts and a 14-1-1 goalkeeper record • has a save percentage of .829, making 34 saves and allowing only seven goals • that’s the 12th best save percentage in a season for any Tar Heel goalkeeper in history • has allowed only seven goals all season - one each against Illinois and Texas, two against UCLA and three against Florida State • made five saves against UCF, one short of career high set against Duke in 2017 season opener • also had five saves against Penn State last year • made four saves in first half of game at Stanford • posted first solo shutout of year in win at #2 Florida State • also posted solo shutouts against Virginia Tech, Boston College, Wake Forest in the regular season and against Virginia Tech and against Clemson in the ACC Tournament as well as Virginia Tech in the NCAA Tournament • made spectacular saves on the third and fouth penalty kicks by UCLA in the NCAA quarterfinals, allowing the Tar Heels to advance past the Bruins 4-2 • she was only the third Tar Heel goalkeeper in history to win a penalty kick shootout, joining U.S. National Team goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris against Virginia in 2007 ACC Tournament and Bryane Heaberlin against Baylor in 2012 NCAA Tournament • her six saves versus UCLA in NCAA quarterfinals matched her career high in a game.
Junior Year (2017): The only scholarship goalkeeper on the roster last year • started all 22 games and played all 2046:02 minutes in goal • had a goals against average of 0.53 and a save percentage of .797 • ranked 12th nationally and second in ACC in goals against average • ranked 15^th nationally in shutouts per game at .591 • allowed only four goals in 13 ACC games during the season (UVA, BC, ND, FSU in ACC Tournament) • her goalkeeper record was 17-3-2 and she recorded 13 solo shutouts against Auburn, UNCW, Florida State, Clemson, Syracuse, Miami, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Louisville, NC State, Duke, High Point and Colorado • made a career high six saves against Duke in season opener and had five saves versus Penn State and four stops against Florida State and Syracuse.
Sophomore Year (2016): Played as the primary backup to Lindsey Harris at the goalkeeper position • saw action in four games, playing 74:37 • earned her first career start against Villanova and made two saves in 2-0 win, playing the opening 45 minutes • played six minutes against USC, 14 minutes against Pittsburgh and nine minutes versus Liberty.
Freshman Year (2015): Played in one game as a freshman, totaling 14:32 in net.
High School: Graduated on May 26, 2015 from Mount Notre Dame High School • in 2014, she led the Cougars to their first-ever victory over rival St. Ursula Academy, posting a shutout 1-0 win and making a game-saving stop on a shot from the six-yard line • allowed only 24 goals in 68 career games, including just three in 15 games as a senior • posted 27 career shutouts including 11 in 15 games as a senior • scored three goals in her career, including a pair of free kicks from the half line and also added two assists • as a senior, she was the team captain and an All-America selection • was chosen first-team GGCL and the GGCL player of the year • was OHSAA All-City and OHSAA Division I second-team All-Ohio • chosen to play in 2014 state all-star game • also captained team as a junior when she was first-team All-GGCL (Girls Greater Catholic League) • named OHSAA All-City and OHSAA Division I second-team All-Ohio • was voted by team and coaches as defensive player of the season • earned second-team All-Academic GCCL honors twice in her career (3.7 GPA or above)
National Team: Earned her first cap with the U17 WNT, starting against U18 German WNT • had been in the national team cycle since age 13 • attended national team camps in 2011 in Portland (U14), in 2012 in Cary, N.C. and Chula Vista, Calif. (U15), in 2013 and 2014 in Carson, Calif., Chula Vista, Calif., Columbus and San Diego (U17) • began training with U.S. U20s in November 2014 attending two camps in Chula Vista and a week-long camp in Orlando in January 2015.
Club: Competed with the Ohio Elite Soccer Academy since age 13 • attended Nike/id2 National Training camps in Portland in 2013 & 2014 and in Frisco, Texas in 2010 • named to All-Tournament Team at PDA ECNL National Showcase in N.J. in May 2012 • U.S. Soccer Market Training Center participant in 2010 & 2011 • played in PUMA Women’s Elite Showcase in Baltimore in 2012.
Personal: Participated in Mount Notre Dame High School Capstone Project • organized mini soccer camp at Friars Club in downtown Cincinnati and constructed a non-profit camp for young, impoverished kids wanting to learn the fundamentals of soccer • majors in exercise and sports science in the fitness professional sequence.