USYNT and Penn State goalkeeper Julia Dohle medically retires at age 19

U.S. Youth National Team and Penn State women’s soccer goalkeeper Julia Dohle has been forced to medically retire at the age of 19, due to a rare heart condition.

Dohle announced the news via her Instagram account on Sunday night, stating that she was recently diagnosed with the condition which required her to undergo heart surgery. In her post, Dohle stated that the surgery was a success and her recovery is going well.

After being recruited as one of the top young women’s goalkeeper prospects in the country, Dohle was slated to play her redshirt freshman season with the Nittany Lions this fall. The former New York City FC Girls Academy standout has represented the U.S. Youth Women’s National Teams at the U-15, U-17, and U-20 levels.

See below for the full post from Dohle:

View this post on Instagram

10-18-2020 ? To the beautiful game, No one will ever know the impact that you have had on my life. From the day that I could first walk to the final minutes of my last game, you never failed to put a smile on my face. Apart from the joy and passion that I felt when I was on that field, you taught me lifelong lessons, gave me some of the most incredible experiences, allowed me to travel the world and most importantly – you introduced me to some of my lifelong friends and family… Thank you for being my second home. I would not be where I am or who I am without you ? That being said, I still have no idea where to go from here. The last couple of months have been the hardest of my life and I still cannot fully wrap my head around it all. I was recently diagnosed with a very serious and rare heart condition and have to medically retire from the game of soccer because of it. Never did I ever think that I would be saying those words, especially because I felt that I had so much more to give… Even though I am filled with sadness, pain and confusion about it all, I am also grateful and very lucky to still be here today. Thank you to all of the doctors, nurses, trainers etc. that have been so incredibly supportive and helpful during these hard times and to those who continued to send their love and prayers. I may not be able to fully understand why this is happening, but I do believe that everything happens for a reason? -Jules p.s. Surgery was a success and recovery is going well. Thank you for everyone’s notes and prayers. They mean the world to me.

A post shared by julia dohle (@julia.dohle) on Oct 18, 2020 at 5:12pm PDT

Penn State women’s soccer head coach Erica Dambach tweeted the following in support of Dohle:

“Our sport will no longer be blessed by Julia’s incredible talent as a player. Her unparalleled work ethic will serve her well as she transitions into her next phase of life. She is an incredible daughter, friend and teammate and I’m so thankful she is a part of this program.”

U.S. Women’s National Team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher – a Penn State alum – was also among the dozens of members of the U.S. Soccer community who sent their best wishes:

Once a member of GK union, always a part of GK union! Wishing you a speedy recovery @julia_dohle and all the best in your future! #WeAre ? https://t.co/Z4jPtFAnHz

— Alyssa Naeher (@AlyssaNaeher) October 19, 2020