Abi Brighton

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Abi Brighton
Personal information
Full name Abigail Crosby Brighton[1]
Date of birth (2002-03-29) March 29, 2002 (age 23)[2]
Place of birth Beaufort, South Carolina, U.S.
Position(s)
Center midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Juventus
Number 33
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2024
Vanderbilt Commodores
 93 (10)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2025– Juventus 8 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of March 30, 2025

Abigail Crosby Brighton (born March 29, 2002) is an American professional

Vanderbilt Commodores
, earning All-American honors.

Early life and college career

Brighton was born in Beaufort, South Carolina, to John and Stephanie Brighton, and raised in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.[2] She has an older brother, James, who played college soccer for Clemson. Brighton attended Heritage Academy in Hilton Head, where she captained the soccer team from 2012 to 2018.[3] She played club soccer for Tormenta FC.[4]

Vanderbilt Commodores

Brighton was a five-year starter for the

Mississippi State (her rocket against Mississippi State made SportsCenter's top 10 plays), and she scored the last goal in a 3–1 victory over Arkansas in the final. Vanderbilt lost to Penn State in their opening game in the NCAA tournament. She finished the season with 3 goals and 2 assists in 16 games and was named to the SEC all-freshman team.[2][5]

Brighton made a career-high five assists in 21 games in her junior season in 2022, including the tying assist in a 1–1 draw against Arkansas in the quarterfinals of the

Northwestern in the next game. She became team captain of the Commodores in her senior year. She returned for a fifth and final season (granted to college athletes because of the pandemic) in 2024. In her last NCAA tournament, she led Vanderbilt to an upset win against top-seeded defending champions Florida State in the second round, assisting on the second goal in a 3–3 draw and making the winning penalty kick in the ensuing shootout. Vanderbilt lost to Penn State in the next round.[2][6] Described as "arguably the spine of the team" for her facilitating play, Brighton was named to the All-SEC second team in her last two seasons and third-team United Soccer Coaches All-American in her last season.[2][7]

Club career

Juventus

Italian club Juventus announced on January 8, 2025, that they had signed Brighton to her first professional contract on a two-and-a-half-year deal.[8] She made her professional debut three days later, substituting for Eva Schatzer in a 3–0 win against Sampdoria.[9]

International career

Brighton was called into United States national under-14 team training camp in 2016 and later invited to virtual camp at the under-20 level in 2021.[10][11] She was called into training camp with the United States under-23 team, practicing alongside the senior national team, in March 2025.[12]

Honors

Vanderbilt Commodores

Individual

  • Third-team United Soccer Coaches All-American: 2024
  • Second-team All-SEC: 2023, 2024
  • SEC all-freshman team: 2020
  • SEC tournament all-tournament team: 2020

References

  1. ^ "Vanderbilt Commencement Program 2024" (PDF). Vanderbilt University. p. 30. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Abi Brighton". Vanderbilt Commodores. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  3. ^ Hidalgo Bellows, Kate (November 27, 2020). "Hilton Head siblings help carry college soccer teams to conference wins – on the same day". The Island Packet. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  4. ^ Shealer, Sheldon (January 21, 2018). "Recruiting Roundup: January 22–28". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  5. ^ Hays, Graham (October 31, 2024). "Let's Just Play". Vanderbilt Commodores. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  6. ^ Joffer, Prince Akeem (November 23, 2024). "FSU soccer falls in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Vanderbilt". Tomahawk Nation. SB Nation. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  7. ^ Hall, Grace (November 27, 2024). "Soccer: History written in the 2024 season". The Vanderbilt Hustler. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  8. ^ "Abi Brighton joins Juventus Women!". Juventus FC. January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  9. ^ "Bianconere sail past Sampdoria". Juventus FC. January 11, 2025. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  10. ^ Shain, Jeff (January 24, 2016). "Storm Academy soccer duo getting national look". The Island Packet. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  11. ^ "U.S. U20 WNT Virtual Camp Roster". United States Soccer Federation. May 20, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2024 – via TopDrawerSoccer.
  12. ^ "24 Players Called Up for U.S. U-23 Women's National Team Training Camp in Los Angeles". United States Soccer Federation. March 26, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
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