Anna Heilferty

Anna Heilferty (born April 17, 1999) is an American professional women's soccer player who plays as a defender for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

Youth career
Heilferty is a native of Falls Church, Virginia, and attended Justice High School, then named JEB Stuart High School. The Washington Post named her its high school women's soccer player of the year in 2017.

College career
Heilferty attended Boston University, where she played for the Boston University Terriers women's soccer team. She made 62 appearances, and scored 13 goals and 10 assists. The Patriot League named her its rookie of the year in 2017, and in 2018 named her the Patriot League Tournament's most valuable player and to the All-Patriot League first team. Initially playing as an attacker and leading the team in goals and assists as a sophomore, she moved to left back in her junior year.

Club career
Heilferty, a fan of the Washington Spirit as a child, trained with the team during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The Spirit selected Heilferty with the 19th-overall pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft. She was the first Boston University player to be drafted into the NWSL.

Washington Spirit, 2021–
Heilferty made her professional debut on April 10, 2021, in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup. The team played her in multiple positions, including on both wings, at left back, and as a midfielder. She played 47 minutes as a substitute for Tara McKeown in the 2021 NWSL Championship match against the Chicago Red Stars, which the Spirit won 2–1.

On January 17, 2023, the Spirit extended Heilferty's contract through 2024 with an option for an additional year. The team also officially converted her to a defender. On February 25, 2023, the Spirit announced that Heilferty would miss the 2023 season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered during preseason.

Heilferty made her return to the pitch on March 23, 2024, in the Spirit's 2024 home opener match against Bay FC. In her second match back from injury, Heilferty suffered a season-ending ACL tear on April 26, 2024. It would be Heilferty's second ACL injury in just over a year.

International career
The United States women's national under-23 soccer team selected Heilferty for the 2022 Three-Nations Tournament in Sweden.

Personal life
On May 12, 2022, Heilferty joined the Department of Energy and Environment as the first ambassador for the Government of the District of Columbia's Sustainable DC environmental initiative.

Honors
Washington Spirit
 * NWSL Championship: 2021

Individual
 * Patriot League Rookie of the Year: 2017
 * Patriot League Tournament MVP: 2018
 * All-Patriot League First Team: 2018