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Princeton University Athletics
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Gregoire '18 Signs With French Club ASJ Soyaux-Charente
March 01, 2021 | Women's Soccer
Vanessa Gregoire '18, who helped lead the team to one of its greatest seasons in program history as a senior in 2017, has earned the chance to begin her professional soccer career with French top-division club ASJ Soyaux-Charente.
The team has seven matches remaining on its schedule for the season, including one to end the regular season on June 5 against Havre AC, where Gregoire's former Tiger teammate Jesse McDonough '17 plays.Â
"ASJ Soyaux-Charente are getting a superb leader, person and player in Vanessa," Princeton coach Sean Driscoll said. "She is a fierce competitor that offers the highest of soccer IQs and technical proficiency second to none. Perhaps her greatest gift, though, is the ability to make others around her better as a result of her vision, organizational communication skills and her calm under pressure. I am so excited to see those special qualities on display again and wish Vanessa the best of luck with this chapter in her life."
Gregoire was a United Soccer Coaches second-team All-America, first-team All-East Region, and MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist during a senior year that saw Princeton reach the NCAA quarterfinals and upset second-ranked North Carolina in the round of 16. Gregoire was a four-time All-Ivy League honoree earning first-team recognition in 2015 and 2017 as Princeton advanced in the NCAA tournament in both of those years.
With 27 career assists, Gregoire is Princeton's all-time leader in that category, surpassing Diana Matheson '08 and Lauren Lazo '15, two players who went on to their own professional soccer careers. Gregoire is one of five Tiger alumnae who have played under Driscoll and gone on to professional soccer careers, including Olivia Sheppard '20, Mimi Asom '19, McDonough, and Tyler Lussi '17.Â
The team has seven matches remaining on its schedule for the season, including one to end the regular season on June 5 against Havre AC, where Gregoire's former Tiger teammate Jesse McDonough '17 plays.Â
"ASJ Soyaux-Charente are getting a superb leader, person and player in Vanessa," Princeton coach Sean Driscoll said. "She is a fierce competitor that offers the highest of soccer IQs and technical proficiency second to none. Perhaps her greatest gift, though, is the ability to make others around her better as a result of her vision, organizational communication skills and her calm under pressure. I am so excited to see those special qualities on display again and wish Vanessa the best of luck with this chapter in her life."
Gregoire was a United Soccer Coaches second-team All-America, first-team All-East Region, and MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist during a senior year that saw Princeton reach the NCAA quarterfinals and upset second-ranked North Carolina in the round of 16. Gregoire was a four-time All-Ivy League honoree earning first-team recognition in 2015 and 2017 as Princeton advanced in the NCAA tournament in both of those years.
With 27 career assists, Gregoire is Princeton's all-time leader in that category, surpassing Diana Matheson '08 and Lauren Lazo '15, two players who went on to their own professional soccer careers. Gregoire is one of five Tiger alumnae who have played under Driscoll and gone on to professional soccer careers, including Olivia Sheppard '20, Mimi Asom '19, McDonough, and Tyler Lussi '17.Â
Players Mentioned
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