Ellie Louise Walbruch (born May 25, 2004) is an American college soccer player who plays as a forward for the BYU Cougars. She previously played for the UCLA Bruins and was part of the team that won the 2022 national championship.
 Walbruch with Utah United in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ellie Louise Walbruch | ||
| Date of birth | May 25, 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Denver, Colorado, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | BYU Cougars | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022 | UCLA Bruins | 13 | (1) |
| 2023– | BYU Cougars | 50 | (27) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2025 | Utah United | 6 | (5) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early life
editBorn in Denver, Colorado, Walbruch grew up in Highland, Utah.[1] She began playing soccer as a four-year-old coached by her father.[2] When she was ten, her family attended the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, leading her to want to pursue soccer as a career.[2] She played for Utah Celtic before moving to the DA's La Roca.[2][3] She committed to UCLA during her freshman year at American Fork High School over offers from BYU, Stanford, Texas, Notre Dame, Oregon, North Carolina, and others.[2][4] She was named ECNL all-conference with both La Roca and Real Colorado.[5][6] She was ranked by TopDrawerSoccer as the No. 16 prospect of the 2022 class, part of UCLA's second-ranked incoming class.[7]
College career
editWalbruch enrolled early at the University of California, Los Angeles, in the spring of 2022.[8] Under new head coach Margueritte Aozasa, she scored 1 goal in 13 appearances as a substitute during her freshman season.[1][3] She was part of the UCLA Bruins team that won the program's second NCAA title, although she was unused in the NCAA tournament.[1][9]
Walbruch then transferred to the BYU Cougars under Jennifer Rockwood for her sophomore season in 2023.[3] She was BYU's third leading scorer with 11 goals and 4 assists in 26 games despite primarily playing off the bench.[10] She was named second-team All-Big 12 and helped the team reach the NCAA tournament semifinals.[11]
Walbruch suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during an exhibition game in the spring of 2024 and missed her entire junior season.[11] She returned to action with Utah United in the USL W League in the summer of 2025.[11] She was named the USL W final MVP award after setting up two goals against the North Carolina Courage U23 in the championship game.[12]
Walbruch started all 24 games and led the Cougars with 16 goals as a redshirt junior in 2025, earning first-team All-Big 12 and second-team All-American honors.[13] She scored five goals in three Big 12 tournament games to lead the eight seed Cougars to their first Big 12 tournament title and was named the tournament's offensive MVP.[14] BYU reached the third round in the NCAA tournament.[13]
Personal life
editWalbruch is the daughter of Matt and Emily Walbruch and has three siblings.[13] Her parents met at the University of Denver, where her father played soccer and her mother played basketball.[2]
Honors and awards
editUCLA Bruins
BYU Cougars
Utah United
Individual
- Second-team All-American: 2025
- First-team All-Big 12: 2025
- Second-team All-Big 12: 2023
- Big 12 tournament Most Outstanding Offensive Player: 2025
- USL W League final MVP: 2025
References
edit- 1 2 3 "Ellie Walbruch". UCLA Bruins. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Dickson, Darnell (July 4, 2019). "Highland's Ellie Walbruch has big soccer dreams". Daily Herald. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- 1 2 3 Walker, Sean (January 3, 2023). "National champion comes home: BYU's Ellie Walbruch on transfer from UCLA, competing in the Big 12, and NIL in college sports". Salt City Soccer. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- ↑ Dickson, Darnell (November 11, 2021). "Walbruch makes dream come true, signs with UCLA soccer". Daily Herald. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- ↑ "ECNL All Conference Northwest". Elite Clubs National League. August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2025 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
- ↑ "ECNL Girls Northwest All-Conference Teams". Elite Clubs National League. August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2025 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
- ↑ Clark, Travis (August 16, 2022). "Final 2022 Women's DI Recruiting Rankings". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- ↑ Schmitz, Cecilia (September 16, 2022). "Ten freshmen set high expectations for UCLA women's soccer in 2022". Daily Bruin. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- ↑ Walker, Sean (January 3, 2023). "Cougar Beat podcast: Why a national champ came 'home' to BYU women's soccer". KSL.com. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- ↑ "Women's Soccer 2023 Cumulative Statistics". BYU Cougars. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- 1 2 3 Walker, Sean (August 14, 2025). "She's back: Ellie Walbruch brings leadership role in return to BYU women's soccer". KSL.com. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- ↑ Walker, Sean (July 19, 2025). "Franchise first: Utah college soccer stars cap inaugural season with national title". KSL.com. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Ellie Walbruch". BYU Cougars. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- ↑ Drew, Jay (November 8, 2025). "BYU captures first Big 12 women's soccer championship with 1-0 win over defending champion Kansas". Deseret News. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
External links
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