The Midlothian native and 2021 Atlantic 10 regular season champ will add pre-professional play to her Richmond soccer resume.
RICHMOND, Va. — W League RVA is pleased to announce that Midlothian native and starting center back at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Lindsey Munyak, will join the team’s roster for the 2024 inaugural season pending league and federation approval.
“I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be able to represent my hometown and be a part of growing the soccer community in Richmond,” Munyak said. “Being on the first roster of this team is so incredible and exciting. I’m so happy to be a part of something bigger than myself and I hope to be an inspiration to young girls In the Richmond Area!”
Munyak is coming off her most productive season with the Rams when she started all 18 matches as a senior. She scored her first career goal at George Mason University (GMU) in mid-September and claimed an assist against Fordham University in October. The goal at GMU was recognized in the No. 9 spot in Sportscenter’s Top 10 that evening.
As a sophomore, she was a part of the squad that brought home the Atlantic 10 Regular-Season Championship.
Munyak will return to VCU in the fall for her final year of eligibility after redshirting her freshman season. VCU Head Coach Lindsey Martin could not say enough about the graduate student.
“Lindsey has made tremendous strides over the course of her four years with us,” Coach Martin said. “Her development from her first year until now has been dramatic and awesome to see and be a part of. I am so proud of the growth she has shown and the determination she has put in over the course of her career to put herself in a better position to not only be impactful for our program but also in looking to play at your level and then professionally after college.”
On the defensive side, Munyak helped the Rams to post six clean sheets on the year. Martin touted Munyak’s skills, especially in this most recent season where she logged 1,568 minutes.
“She’s a really hard-nosed kid,” Martin said. “She gets stuck into tackles, reads the game well and so she fits really well into how we want to play and how we want to defend. She’s a smart distributor of the ball as well and makes good decisions. For us, she plays left-sided center back so she’s forced to play on her non-dominant foot more often than she’d probably like but because of that she’s able to distribute to both sides of the field and her communication has really grown over the years as well. She’s a leader for us now and I expect in her fifth year she’ll be even more impactful with all these qualities.”
W League RVA Head Coach Kimmy Cummings shares Martin’s confidence in Munyak’s skills as a defender and contributor to team success.
“Lindsey is an attacking-minded defender that consistently looks for opportunities to regain possession higher up the field to initiate an attack with her distribution,” Cummings said. “She is able to consistently get stuck in tackles and can cover ground quickly. Her growth and experience at VCU will allow her to be a dynamic force in our back line helping us battle in City Stadium!”
Her improvement year-over-year at VCU stems from an already successful high school and club career, which Cummings bore witness to as an assistant coach during Munyak’s time with Richmond United.
In addition to Richmond United, Munyak also played for James River High School. She was honored at both the All-Region and All-State levels three times and captained her high school team where she scored 10 goals and doled out six assists.
“Lindsey is an athletic and determined soccer player,” W League RVA Sporting Director Madeline McCracken said. “She comes to our team as an experienced defender with natural attacking tendencies. We are confident that she can raise the quality of our training and playing environment. We are so excited to welcome her to W League RVA!”
