Katie Meyer, the goalkeeper and captain of the Stanford women's soccer team, has died aged 22.
The university confirmed Meyer’s death in a letter sent to the school’s community on Wednesday after initially announcing the death of a student on Tuesday, as they waited for her friends and family to be informed.
Meyer died at an on-campus residence hall, the university confirmed, although no cause of death has been given, police said there was no threat to anyone else on campus and are not treating Meyer's death as suspicious.
The talented goalkeeper made two key saves in a penalty shootout to help Stanford win the national championship in 2019 for the third time in their history.
Meyer attended high school in Newbury Park, California, and was a senior studying international relations and history.
As per Mercury News , Meyer had twice been the women's soccer team captain and had twice made it to the Pacific-12 Conference's honour roll.
She had also participated in national teams in Italy and the Netherlands, as well as camps across the world.
“There are no words,” Katie’s sister Sam Perez wrote on Instagram. “Thank you for all the kindness extended to my family. I'm not ready to post anything big yet. We are broken-hearted and love Kat so much.”
Perez also shared a GoFundMe page to help pay for Meyer's memorial costs, which at the time of writing has reached $57,000 of its $60,000 target.
“Katie was extraordinarily committed to everything and everyone in her world,” the Stanford statement read.
“Her friends describe her as a larger-than-life team player in all her pursuits, from choosing an academic discipline she said ‘changed my perspective on the world and the very important challenges that we need to work together to overcome’ to the passion she brought to the Cardinal women’s soccer program and to women’s sports in general.”
The official U.S. Soccer Twitter page shared Stanford Athletics’ tribute and added: “The thoughts and hearts of the entire U.S. Soccer Federation are with the family, friends, teammates and loved ones of Katie Meyer.”
The Stanford’s women’s soccer team uploaded a picture of Meyer in action on the field, alongside the caption with a heart: “We love you, Katie.”
Stanford athletic director Bernard Muir said in a statement: “There are no words to express the deep sadness we feel about Katie Meyer’s passing.
“Katie was an outstanding student-athlete and a beloved, passionate leader here at Stanford. Our entire athletics community is heartbroken and Katie will be deeply missed.”
