Gro Espeseth (born 30 October 1972) is a former Norwegian footballer, world champion and olympic champion.
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Gro Espeseth[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 30 October 1972 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Stord, Norway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ådnamarka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | IL Bjørnar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1998 | IL Sandviken | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Trondheims-Ørn | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | New York Power | 20 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | IL Sandviken | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–2000 | Norway | 105 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:16, 20 September 2014 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14:16, 20 September 2014 (UTC) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
She played for the clubs Sandviken and Trondheims-Ørn, debuted for the Norwegian national team in 1991, and played 105 matches for the national team.
She received a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.[2]
Club career
editWith Sandviken Espeseth won the 1995 Norwegian Women's Cup, scoring twice in the 3–2 final win over Trondheims-Ørn, including the extra time winner. She had an offer to join Japanese L. League club Suzuyo Shimizu F.C. Lovely Ladies, but the transfer fell through when she failed the medical.
Espeseth signed for the professional Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) ahead of the inaugural season in 2001. She was allocated to New York Power alongside compatriot Ann Kristin Aarønes. Knee damage meant that she was only able to play for one season before retiring.[3]
In 2007 Espeseth returned to football as an assistant coach with her former club Sandviken. Due to the unavailability of several players, she made a guest appearance as a player in July 2007, six years after her retirement.[4] She was substituted after 40 minutes of Sandviken's Toppserien 9–0 defeat by Røa IL.
Honours
editOlympics
edit- Atlanta 1996 – bronze
- Sydney 2000 – gold
FIFA Women's World Cup
edit- 1991 FIFA World Cup in China – silver
- 1995 FIFA World Cup in Sweden – gold
Personal life
editEspeseth gave birth to son Brage in 2002.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Gro Espeseth". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
- ^ "2000 Summer Olympics – Melbourne, Australia – Soccer" Archived 11 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved on 15 May 2008)
- ^ "Norway duo announce retirement". UEFA. 15 October 2001. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
- ^ Langeland, Knut (6 July 2007). "- En ren gjesteopptreden" (in Norwegian). Bergens Tidende. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
- ^ Jørstad, Atle (10 February 2014). "Gro Espeseth: Derfor er tiden med fotball forbi" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
External links
edit- Gro Espeseth – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Profile at Women's United Soccer Association (New York Power)
- Gro Espeseth at WorldFootball.net
- Gro Espeseth at FBref.com
- Gro Espeseth at the Norway Football Association (in Norwegian)
- Gro Espeseth at Olympedia
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