LaKeysia Beene

LaKeysia Beene
Personal information
Full name	LaKeysia Rene Beene
Date of birth	March 9, 1978 (age 46)
Place of birth	Sumter, South Carolina, United States
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
College career
Years	Team
1996–1999	Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Senior career*
Years	Team
	California Storm
2001–2003	San Jose CyberRays
	California Storm
International career
2000–2003	United States
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

LaKeysia Rene Beene (born March 9, 1978) is an American former soccer goalkeeper who played for the United States women's national soccer team and the San Jose CyberRays of Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA).

Playing career[edit]

Beene attended and played college soccer as goalkeeper for the University of Notre Dame. She graduated in 1999 having majored in environmental geoscience. With the Fighting Irish, Beene was a two-time All-American and backstopped the team to a runners-up finish in the 1999 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship.

In 2000, Beene became one of the 24 founding players of the Women's United Soccer Association, (WUSA), the first official professional women's soccer league in the United States. From 2001 to 2003, she played for the San Jose CyberRays. In 2001, Beene was named WUSA goalkeeper of the year, as the CyberRays won the championship game, beating Atlanta Beat on a penalty shootout.^[2]

Beene previously played for pro–am Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) team California Storm. She returned to the Storm when WUSA collapsed after the 2003 season.^[3]

Beene's first appearance on the United States women's national soccer team was on January 7, 2000, in an 8–1 win over Czech Republic in Melbourne, Australia.^[4]^[5] She collected a total of 18 caps over the following three years,^[6] but was not included in the US squads for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, or the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Beene was a teenage Tang Soo Do champion.^[4] She graduated from the University of Notre Dame in January 2005 with a B.S. in environmental geosciences.^[7]^[1]

She was admitted to The State Bar of California in 2009 and currently practices environmental law in Sacramento.^[8]

^ ^a ^b "College of Engineering – The Degree of Bachelor of Science in Environmental Geosciences On: Degree awarded January 2, 2005" (PDF). 160th Commencement Exercises. University of Notre Dame. May 2005. p. 70. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 11, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
^ "Milbrett Tops List of WUSA Post-Season Honorees". United States Soccer Federation. August 23, 2001. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
^ Smith, Michelle (May 4, 2004). "Women keep the ball rolling / Players passing time until WUSA returns". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
^ ^a ^b "Goalkeeper: Lakeysia Beene". Soccer Times. August 23, 2001. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
^ Litterer, Dave (June 16, 2011). "USA - Women - International Results". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
^ "U.S. Women's National Team All-Time Player Appearances". United States Soccer Federation. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
^ "Our Story". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2023. 1999 – As the last line of defense, goalkeeper Lakeysia Beene ('05) protects the net as the Irish women's soccer team advances to play in the NCAA title game.
^ "Lakeysia R Beene - #265078". The State Bar of California.

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