ATLANTA – Former Illinois State soccer standout Kate Del Fava has received her first senior U.S. Women's National Team call-up, becoming the first player in program history to earn a spot on the senior USWNT roster.
U.S. Women's National Team head coach Emma Hayes called up Del Fava to replace injured defender Naomi Girma for the October FIFA window, which includes two matches against the world's No. 1-ranked Spain.
Del Fava, who currently plays for the Utah Royals of the National Women's Soccer League, was originally set to travel to Atlanta on Monday as an overage player with the U.S. Under-23 Women's National Team. The U-23 camp is being held concurrently with Hayes' camp at the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center. Del Fava will now join the senior national team.
The call-up marks another milestone in a decorated career that began in Normal, where Del Fava established herself as one of the most accomplished players in Illinois State women's soccer history.
A four-year letterwinner from 2016-19, Del Fava started 79 of the 80 matches she played as a Redbird and never missed a game during her collegiate career. She finished her career with 25 goals and 17 assists while playing a program-record 7,099 minutes, the most ever by an Illinois State field player.
Del Fava saved her best season for last, earning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in 2019. She was also named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest Region First Team, All-MVC First Team and MVC Scholar-Athlete Team while earning CoSIDA Academic All-America Team Member of the Year honors and United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America Third Team recognition.
In her senior campaign, Del Fava led the MVC in goals (17), points (39), shots on goal (35) and game-winning goals (six). She recorded six multi-goal games, including the first hat trick of her collegiate career at Iowa, and was named MVC Offensive Player of the Week a conference-record five times.
Her accomplishments extended beyond the field, as Del Fava was named an Illinois State Robert G. Bone Scholar, the highest honor bestowed upon an undergraduate student at Illinois State. She also earned the Linda Herman Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for the second time and was selected as the Jill Hutchison Female Athlete of the Year at The Reggies.
Del Fava's success at Illinois State helped make her one of the most highly regarded professional prospects in MVC history. She was selected 12th overall by Utah Royals FC in the 2020 NWSL College Draft, becoming the highest-drafted women's soccer student-athlete in MVC history.
After beginning her professional career with Utah, Del Fava has become a cornerstone of the Royals' defense since the club rejoined the NWSL in 2024, playing every minute of every match during that span. She has helped Utah to its best season in club history and to the brink of an NWSL playoff berth in 2026. She has scored twice this season, with both goals coming on headers.
Del Fava previously earned her first U.S. National Team call-up at any level in June, when she joined the U-23 WNT for its trip to Brazil as an overage player. Her inclusion on the senior roster brings the number of uncapped players in the current USWNT camp to five.
The United States will face Spain twice during the October FIFA window. The first meeting is set for Oct. 10 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., at 2:30 p.m. ET, followed by a second match Oct. 13 at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, at 7 p.m. ET.
