BIRMINGHAM – Former UAB keeper Joanna Popp is continuing her soccer career with FC Würzburger in her home country of Germany. Würzburger is located in the state of Bavaria, 75 miles southeast of Frankfort. The team, known as the Kickers, play in the 2nd Bundesliga, which is in the second division of professional soccer in the country.
Popp, who joined the squad in December 2020, has played in six matches, making a pair of starts. She began the match in net in the Kickers’ 5-0 victory over FFC 08 Niederkirchen on April 25. FC Würzburger has four more matches remaining in the regular season and is slated to play FFC Frankfort II on Wednesday.
In an interview with Anpfiff Magazine, Popp said of her time at UAB, “The four and a half years that I spent at UAB were an incredibly wonderful time that I will never forget. The environment in Birmingham was just great and I felt very comfortable. I also had the opportunity to optimally combine my studies with soccer and was able to train with my team every day under very professional conditions.”
The Weikersheim, Germany native played in six matches in her Blazer career, recording a pair of shutouts. In her clean sheet at Samford on Aug. 22, 2019, she had a career-best 10 saves in 110 scoreless minutes. In her other shutout, she turned away six shots in 110 minutes against UTEP on Oct. 3, 2019. Popp made six saves against nationally ranked TCU on Aug. 25, 2019.
Popp, who was a neuroscience major at UAB, was on the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and earned the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal. She is currently pursuing her doctorate.
For more information on the UAB women’s soccer team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_WSoc) or on Instagram (UAB_WSoc).
