Washington Spirit goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart has announced her retirement today after nearly 20 years as a professional soccer player. Barnhart was a steady presence in goal for both club and country, making 53 appearances for the U.S. Women’s National Team and setting records and winning championships with a number of U.S. club teams.

Barnhart played for the USWNT from 2004 to 2013, with her biggest years in 2010 and 2011 when she started in 20 matches. She earned two Olympic gold medals and was on teams that finished second and third in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

On the club side, Barnhart played for seven different teams in three U.S. leagues over the course of her career. She won championships with FC Gold Pride in the WPS and FC Kansas in the NWSl (twice!) and had three seasons with 10 shut-outs.

Barnhart spent her final three years of soccer in Washington, serving as a reliable backup to Aubrey Kingsbury. She signed with the Spirit as a free agent ahead of their 2022 season and appeared in both regular season and cup matches for the team, most prominently in 2023 when she played three regular season games. Her final match was in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup game against the Chicago Red Stars this August. She made four saves in the match, but Washington ultimately lost 3-2.

Off the field, Barnhart was involved with the NWSL Player’s Association, becoming secretary in 2017 and serving on the committee that conducted final in-person negotiations for the league’s second Collective Bargaining Agreement earlier this year. She has also served as a mentor and coach to fellow goalkeepers, a role the Spirit will undoubtedly miss her in.

Barnhart’s retirement wasn’t the biggest surprise of this offseason (she turned 43 this October), but she showed no signs of being ready to put away her gloves before today’s announcement. It remains to be seen whether she’ll continue to be involved in soccer, perhaps through coaching, or will spend some deserved time off in her cabin.

To hear more about Barnhart’s incredible career, including her surprising debut with the USWNT, check out the two interviews Hey Spirits did with her this year: Hey Spirits episode: Competitive hunger, cabin living & pumpkin donuts (w/Barnie!) and Hey Spirits episode: The GK Union (with Aubrey Kingsbury and Nicole Barnhart).