# Celia Gaynor

Celia Clare Gaynor (born March 25, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Fort Lauderdale United FC of the USL Super League. She played college soccer for the Butler Bulldogs and the Michigan State Spartans. She is the sister of soccer player Justina Gaynor.

## Early life

Gaynor grew up in Shelby Township, Michigan, where she played club soccer for Nationals DA. She attended high school at the Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy in the nearby town of Pontiac. Gaynor was a three-year starter at Notre Dame prep, contributing largely to two consecutive division championships and a Michigan D2 State title in 2016. As a sophomore, she led the team with 19 goals and was named to the all-region and all-district teams at the end of the season. Gaynor reached greater heights the following year, also being named to the all-state team as a junior. In August 2016, Gaynor committed to Butler University.

## College career
### Butler Bulldogs

Gaynor began play with the Butler Bulldogs in 2018, operating as a midfielder and playing 12 games as a freshman. Her sophomore season started with a bang, with Gaynor netting her first collegiate goal on Butler's opening match of 2019. She would find further offensive success, recording a career-high 17 shots across 19 games. She played one more season with Butler before transferring to Michigan State University. Gaynor graduated from Butler with 41 appearances and, in the academic realm, Summa Cum Laude honors in Strategic Communication and Communication Sciences and Disorders.

### Michigan State Spartans

In her first season with Michigan State, Gaynor appeared in all 23 matches across the season. The Spartans qualified for the 2022 NCAA Tournament, playing their first-ever NCAA home match against Milwaukee in November 2022. During the match, Gaynor played 25 minutes and scored a goal to help Michigan State secure a 3–2 victory. At the end of the season, she was named to the Academic All Big-Ten team.
Gaynor moved to the backline in her final year of college, converting into a defender. She helped Michigan State reach a consecutive NCAA tournament appearance for the second time in history and played all three matches, including MSU's inaugural third-round appearance. Gaynor was named to the All Big-Ten First Team for her efforts. She completed her Michigan State career having helped the team win a conference title in both years, racking up 43 appearances and 5 goals along the way.

## Club career

The Chicago Red Stars selected Gaynor in the fourth round of the 2024 NWSL Draft, making her the 45th overall pick of the league's final draft. After training with the Red Stars in preseason, Gaynor was eventually informed that Chicago were not ready to offer her a contract, but could keep her as a non-rostered training player. She was later introduced to an opportunity Fort Lauderdale United FC by Red Stars head coach Lorne Donaldson and departed from Chicago to explore the opportunity in Florida.

### Fort Lauderdale United FC

On May 20, 2024, Fort Lauderdale United FC of the USL Super League signed Gaynor to her first professional contract ahead of the league's inaugural season. She started in Fort Lauderdale's first-ever match, a 1–1 draw with Spokane Zephyr FC. As the season progressed, Gaynor cultivated a strong center-back pairing with Laveni Vaka and was later named to the USL Super League Team of the Month for October after playing every minute of the month.

## Personal life

She is the sister of Chicago Stars FC defender Justina Gaynor. The siblings played together for one season at Butler University and two at Michigan State.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of March 7, 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | Cup | Cup | Playoffs | Playoffs | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Fort Lauderdale United FC | 2024–25 | USL Super League | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 0 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 0 |