'Fly High Angel': Tributes Pour In For Stanford's Katie Meyer

PALO ALTO, CA — Tributes poured in from family, friends and fans of Katie Meyer, the Stanford women’s soccer captain, who was found dead Tuesday in her room on campus. The university did not reveal a cause of death.

“There are no words,” Meyer’s sister, Samantha Meyer, said in an Instagram story. “Thank you for all the kindness extended to my family. I’m not ready to post anything major yet. We are heartbroken and love Kat so much.”

Katie Meyer, a 22-year-old senior, was a goalkeeper best known on the field for her heroics in the 2019 championship game against North Carolina when the game went into a penalty shootout. Meyer stopped two shots, including a save with the score tied 4-4 that allowed Stanford to win the championship on the following kick.

She then stood up, screamed into the crowd and looked directly at the camera in a moment that would be shared over social media after Stanford won its second national title in three years.

“Some tough replies under this one,” Katie Meyer said on Twitter after the game, sharing a clip of her reaction posted by ESPN FC. “But if you told my 9-year-old-gk self that ESPN FC would show a SAVE SHE MADE? I think she’d find a way to get over a few mean comments. Girl power forever.”

“Also,” she added, “the comments aren’t even that creative.”

Related: Stanford Women's Soccer Team Captain Dies In On-Campus Residence

Katie Meyer was born in Burbank in Southern California and was the middle child of three sisters, according to her Stanford profile. She played for the soccer team and was also a kicker on the varsity football team at Newbury Park High School in Thousand Oaks.

She was on the national soccer radar even before she got to Stanford, participating in the United States under-16 national team in 2015 and as an alternate in the under-17 World Cup in 2016.

In her redshirt freshman season with Stanford in 2019, Katie Meyer backstopped the Cardinal to a national championship, making the College Cup All-Tournament team and the United Coaches All-West Region third team. The next season, she was elected team captain.

"Larger Than Life"

Katie Meyer was described as "extraordinarily committed to everything and everyone in her world," and a "larger-than-life team player in all her pursuits,"said Susie Brubaker-Cole, Stanford's vice provost for student affairs, and Bernard Muir, athletic director, in a statement.

“Heart wrenching,” former U.S. women’s national team star Julie Foudy tweeted. “Hug someone close to you. Tell them how much you love them.”

Tegan McGrady, a former teammate of Katie Meyer’s, added on Twitter: “Rest Easy. We miss you, fly high angel. Please everyone hug your loved ones today.”

Sarah Fuller, a goalkeeper for Minnesota Aurora FC in the USL W League who also was a football placekicker in college at Vanderbilt, tweeted that she was “very torn up right now.”

“Katie and I talked only a handful of times and I always admired her play and her passion for the game,” Fuller said. “Prayers go out to her friends and family.”

Katie Meyer was also an intern at Just Women’s Sports, a website covering women’s athletics. She was “one of the first athletes we ever interviewed” who went on to become “a valuable member of our team,” the site posted on Twitter.

“With every interaction, we felt her passion, charisma, intelligence and humor,” the website’s statement said. “Katie was a tremendous leader, a national champion, and someone whose energy inspired everyone she knew. She will be greatly missed.”

Haley Kopmeyer, a former goalkeeper in the National Women’s Soccer League and a content strategist at Just Women’s Sports, called Katie Meyer a “hard-working, funny and bright light.” In a tweet, Kopmeyer said she would keep her up to date on “essential Gen-Z emojis,” like the heart on fire or the strawberry shortcake, which means “easy.”

“That was her reply to any ask because she could crank out any project and build relationships with such ease,” Kopmeyer said.

Other Pac-12 soccer teams offered support and condolences in social media posts.

Ahead of the Orlando Pride and KC Current preseason NWSL game on Wednesday, the players held a moment of silence to honor Katie Meyer. Both teams had the initials “KM” written on their wristbands.

“Her impact in so many spaces will soon not be forgotten,” Kopmeyer said. “So many people will carry her legacy and tenacity towards everything she did forward.”

Meyer is survived by her parents, Steven and Gina Meyer, and sisters Samantha and Siena.

Click here to view a GoFundMe page organized on behalf of Meyer's family. As of Thursday, over $100,000 had been raised.

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