Kennesaw’s Nelson Led U.S. To Deaflympic Gold

SOFIA, Bulgaria-Kennesaw State’s rising junior Julia Nelson came away with a gold medal in the 2013 Deaflympics, scoring seven goals over the course of the tournament.

The U.S. women’s soccer team used a strong, cohesive attack to control the entire gold-medal match against the Russian Federation, winning its third straight Deaflympic gold medal, 2-1, at Vasil Levsky Stadium.

Nelson (Marietta, Ga.) scored the second goal in the championship match that gave the U.S. the 2-0 lead.

The U.S. finished this Deaf-lympics on a 15-game winning streak that started at the 2005 Deaflympics, and the United States scored 27 goals to Russia’s eight in the 2013 Deaflympics. The American squad was balanced, with eight players who scored goals, including five who had multiple goals in the Deaflympics.

Nelson, who played high school soccer at Hillgrove High School in Marietta, began losing her hearing around the age of five. Her younger sister, Sydney, 16, is also deaf and is a member of the U.S. Women’s National Deaf Team.

Nelson has played in 28 matches over her first two seasons at Kennesaw State, starting 11 as a sophomore.

She has three career goals and a pair of assists.

In the Deaflympics final against Russia, the USA’s first goal was scored by another Georgia player, Kate Ward, a sophomore at Appalachian State.

Ward is a graduate of St. Pius X Catholic High School in Atlanta, and played club soccer for Tophat Soccer Club.