By TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Former Tennessee Tech soccer star Brooke Mayo has reached a new level of achievement in her post-graduate career, one that has kept her on the pitch.
Mayo was selected to officiate the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Final Sunday morning, a match that saw Spain claim its first-ever title with a 1-0 win over England. Serving as an assistant referee, she joined fellow U.S. Soccer referees Tori Penso (head), Kathryn Nesbitt (assistant), and Armando Villarreal (assistant video assistant referee) on the crew. The assignments were historic as they marked the first time that U.S. Soccer referees led the officiating crew in a senior FIFA World Cup Final.
Their assignment marks the first time in history that U.S. Soccer referees have been selected to officiate a senior World Cup Final and caps off a fantastic tournament for U.S. Soccer officials, which included Mayo, Penso, and Nesbitt officiating the semifinal matchup between Australia and England, while Villarreal and Felisha Mariscal were assigned to the semifinal contest between Spain and Sweden.
Mayo made her World Cup debut in Australia and New Zealand this summer after earning a spot on the FIFA Panel in 2018. She worked her first world championship events last summer at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. In 2022, she ran the sideline at the Concacaf W Championship and the Concacaf Women's U-20 Championship after also officiating the 2020 Concacaf Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship.
One of the first women to referee men's Concacaf World Cup qualifiers, Mayo has continued to climb the ranks as an official, serving as a referee on some of soccer's most significant stages. Having already officiated a series of MLS matches as well as an assignment to a USL Championship match, Mayo's referee career path powered to the next level when the former Golden Eagle was awarded the opportunity to ref the NWSL (National Women's Soccer League) Challenge Cup Final.
Part of an all-female crew that included Natalie Simon, Deleana Quan, Karen Callado, and Rachel Smith, Mayo helped preside over the proceedings in a championship that went to penalty kicks between the Portland Thorns and the NJ/NY Gotham. Deadlocked at 1-1 through extra time, Portland ended up seizing the final with a 6-5 edge in PK's.
Mayo suited up for the purple and gold from 2007-10 and currently ranks in a tie for fourth in program history in career matches played with 77 contests under her belt. The Garland, Texas product collected four goals, two assists, and 10 points throughout her Tech tenure and was part of the 2009 TTU squad that advanced to the OVC Championship match for one of only four total title appearances in program history.
File photo by TTU Sports Information
