Rose Lavelle had an incredible night in front of a Cincinnati audience on Sept. 21, 2021. Photo: twitter.com/uswnt

A Cincinnati native was in the spotlight for sports this week, but it wasn’t for the Super Bowl.

On Thursday, Mount Notre Dame High School alumna Rose Lavelle shined during the U.S. Women’s National Team’s first match of the 2022 SheBelieves Cup. The tournament battle against the Czech Republic ended in a 0-0 draw, but not before Lavelle broke through the opponent’s tough defenses multiple times with fancy footwork.

The USA outshot the Czech Republic 18-6 at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. For her efforts, Lavelle, a midfielder, was named the “Budweiser Woman of the Match.”

During last year’s SheBelieves Cup, Lavelle was named most valuable player after scoring the winning goal in the final match.

The Feb. 17 match also was notable for new USWNT player Trinity Rodman. Rodman, the daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman, made her team debut at 19 years old, just the fourth teenager to earn a cap for international play since 2010, a release from U.S. Soccer says.

Lavelle also is making news for re-signing with OL Reign. The Seattle Times reports that Lavelle extended her stay in the Emerald City with a two-year contract. OL Reign had picked up Lavelle in a 2020 trade, and the Times reports that the club’s new home pitch of Lumen Field in Seattle contributed to her decision.

2022 is just starting, but 2021 was fire for Lavelle, who continues to prove that Cincinnati breeds winners. In September, Lavelle and the USWNT demolished Paraguay in the first-ever U.S. Soccer match at TQL Stadium in the West End, with Lavelle scoring in just the fourth minute of the match. 

Lavelle also helped the USWNT to a bronze medal in the 2020 Olympics last summer, scoring the team’s first goal of its annihilation of New Zealand (though the Tokyo Olympics happened in 2021, they still were considered to be the 2020 Olympic Games due to the coronavirus pandemic delay).

Lavelle, who graduated from Mount Notre Dame High School in 2013, was named the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Player of the Year during her senior year. After a career at the University of Wisconsin, Lavelle became the No. 1 draft pick in the 2017 National Women’s Soccer League, playing for the Boston Breakers.

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This article appears in Feb 9-22, 2022.