Jeff Hooker has seen it happen before.
Every few years, a talent of immense ability emerges. A player so good coaches realize she is destined for greatness from a young age. Think Mallory Pugh or Lindsey Horan — Colorado soccer prodigies in every sense of the word.
Kristen Hamilton wasn’t that.
“You look at some kids who are just exceptional, and you’re going, ‘Oh man, that kid’s got a chance to make the youth national team or at least try out for it,’” said Hooker, entering his 29th year as the DU Pioneers women’s soccer coach.
“She’s not one that I said that about at that age.”
Now a striker with the powerhouse North Carolina Courage, Hamilton has come a long way from her soccer beginnings in the front yard of her childhood home in Littleton. She’s a three-time NWSL champion, an internationally capped USWNT player, and most recently won the 2019–20 Julie Dolan Medal for being the best player in Australia’s W‑League during a recent loan spell with the Western Sydney Wanderers.
Her unconventional path to professional success, however, sets her apart from the rest.
“It puts me in a really unique position to be able to relate to some of the girls who might be on a similar path to mine,” she said. “Players who are in college are like, ‘It’s so inspiring knowing that if I wasn’t in the youth system, it doesn’t mean the dream is over.’”
While Hamilton may not have been a soccer wunderkind like Pugh and Horan, those who saw her develop during her time at Columbine High School, and later at the University of Denver, believe Hamilton’s success is a validation of her qualities as a player and person.
“It’s great to see someone with a blue-collar personality and work rate be successful,” Hooker said. “She didn’t get many of the accolades other kids growing up between the age of 16 and 18 did, but it never bothered her. She put her head down and just continues to try to be the best.”

Kristen Hamilton of the Wanderers leaps over the tackle from Morgan Andrews of the Perth Glory during the round 14 W‑League match between the Perth Glory and the Western Sydney Wanderers at Hay Park on February 29, 2020 in Bunbury, Australia.
Hamilton has played soccer since she was four, and met Hooker when he coached her U‑11 club team, when she constantly got into trouble for unfocused energy.
She eventually got more serious about the game and developed a passion for it, making Columbine’s varsity team as a freshman and transforming into a college prospect. After committing to DU as a sophomore, everything started to click. Her first step, quickness, and physicality all improved, but Hooker was most impressed by the competitive edge she added to her game.
For Hamilton, that competitiveness arose because of opportunity. Throughout childhood, she’d seen professional women’s soccer leagues fold due to a lack of funding. The rise of the NWSL near the end of her prep career presented a chance to pursue what she loved.
“The NWSL pops up and there’s kind of hope that there’s going to be a professional league that’s going to be sustainable and substantial and stay around for a while,” she said. “So for me, the drive to get to that point changed my mindset.”
By the time she arrived at DU, Hamilton was on another level. She absorbed everything coaches taught her, learned Hooker’s system, and after just a few weeks on campus, Hooker was convinced she’d play beyond college.
The forward shined at Denver. Her 138 career points, 51 goals and 18 game-winners remain school records. In 2013, she was a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist as one of the best players in the NCAA. She also assisted Nicholette DiGiacomo’s extra-time winner against Maryland, helping lead the Pios to their first Sweet 16 trip in 2012.
Following her graduation in 2013, she entered the 2014 NWSL Draft where she was part of a stacked class that included current stars Julie Ertz, Kealia Watt, and No. 1 overall pick Crystal Dunn. At a draft party held by her sister, Nicole, Kristen ed as name after name came off the board until finally, with the very last pick, the Western New York Flash called her name.
“It was this moment of just pure excitement for all of us,” Nicole said.
The joy didn’t last long. In Kristen’s first preseason game with the Flash, she tore her ACL after going into a 50–50 challenge with the opposing goalkeeper.
“It was tough, obviously because of the pain having not gone through that, but mentally as well,” Hamilton said. “You’re trying to figure out, ‘Why am I doing this? Do I really want to push myself to come back and continue to play professionally? Is this something I want to do and pursue?’”

Kristen Hamilton #23 of North Carolina Courage in action during a game against the Chicago Red Stars on day 5 of the NWSL Challenge Cup at Zions Bank Stadium on July 5, 2020 in Herriman, Utah.
The answer to all of those questions was “yes.”
Hamilton returned and made her official NWSL debut for the Flash in 2015. A year later, she helped the team win the title. She stayed with the team again after new ownership moved the Flash south and rebranded the franchise the North Carolina Courage.
Playing with established stars like Abby Dahlkemper, Debinha, Dunn, and behind experienced striking pair of Jessica McDonald and Lynn Williams, Hamilton struggled for game time. Though she considered asking for a trade, she eventually adjusted to an unfamiliar role and contributed to the team’s title game runs in 2017 and 2018, winning the latter.
“As a professional athlete, everyone wants to start, everyone wants to play minutes and when you’re not it’s hard, it takes a toll,” she said, “but I think one of the biggest things for me was just redefining the role.”
The hard work and patience paid off in 2019. She scored her first professional hat trick in a 3–0 win against the Orlando Pride in June, then put four past the Houston Dash a month later. Hamilton’s nine goals tied her for third in the league, and she was named to the NWSL second-team all league.
Her performances also led to a USWNT call-up during the victory tour following the 2019 World Cup, and Hamilton earned her first international cap Sept. 3, 2019, at 27 years old against Portugal.
“It was a packed stadium,” Hamilton said. “Hearing the crowd and the noise, and wearing that jersey was really special.”

Kristen Hamilton of Western Sydney Wanderers FC reacts after missing a penalty during the round 11 W‑League match between Adelaide United and the Western Sydney Wanderers at Marden Sports Complex on Jan. 25, 2020 in Adelaide, Australia.
Before participating in the NWSL Challenge Cup this summer, Hamilton played abroad for the first time in her career in Australia — mentoring and leading young players for the first time since college.
For now, Hamilton’s future remains in North Carolina as she recently extended her contract with the club through 2022. But she hopes to rejoin the USWNT again and play overseas again.
Her career has been anything but normal, but now, through perseverance and commitment, she’s done what few people believed was possible all those years ago. And she’s not done yet.
“I want to show what I can do because it’s not a fluke that I’m here,” she said.