Ran Iwai

Ran Iwai
Iwai with Florida State in 2024
Personal information
Date of birth (2002-03-29) 29 March 2002
Place of birth Tokyo, Japan
Height 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)[1]
Position(s)
Team information
Current team
 FC Rosengård
Number 15
Youth career
2014–2019 JFA Academy Fukushima
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2024 Florida State Seminoles 95 (4)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2026– FC Rosengård 0 (0)
International career
Japan U-16
2018 Japan U-17 2 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ran Iwai (岩井蘭, Iwai Ran; born 29 March 2002) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a left back or midfielder for Damallsvenskan club FC Rosengård. She played college soccer for the Florida State Seminoles, winning two national championships (2021 and 2023) and five consecutive ACC tournament titles. She represented Japan at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

Early life

Iwai was born in Tokyo.[2] She started out playing flag football (her father was coach of the men's national team), winning the under-12 national championship in the sport.[3] She also ran track at that age and was the anchor for the national champions in the 4 × 100 meter relay.[1] She then joined the association football set-up at JFA Academy Fukushima, scoring 177 goals in six years with the program.[1] Before her senior year in high school, she went overseas to summer camp at Florida State University, where she was offered an athletic scholarship.[2] She learned English growing up.[3]

College career

Iwai played in all 16 games and scored 1 goal for the Florida State Seminoles as a freshman in 2020 (part of the season was held in the spring of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic).[1] She helped the Seminoles reach the national championship game, losing to Santa Clara on penalties.[4] She scored 2 goals in 19 appearances as a sophomore in the fall of 2021.[1] In the NCAA tournament semifinals, she made a rare start in the win against Rutgers,[5] before winning the national title over BYU on penalties, the program's third national championship.[6] Iwai became a greater contributor and started every game at left back in her junior year in 2022, helping record 11 shutouts in 23 games.[1] She scored 1 goal during the NCAA tournament as the Seminoles reached the semifinals, losing to North Carolina.[1][7]

Iwai started every game in her senior year in 2023, posting 8 assists and contributing to 14 shutouts in 23 games as the Seminoles became undefeated national champions.[1] She helped Florida State post five consecutive clean sheets in the NCAA tournament before beating Stanford 5–1 in the final, winning the program's fourth national title.[8] She returned for her fifth and final season in 2024, tallying 8 assists in 19 games.[1] She suffered an injury in the ACC tournament final that kept her out for the rest of the season.[9] Despite her injury, Florida State won the match to give Iwai her fifth consecutive ACC tournament title, joining Clara Robbins as the only Seminoles to win five conference tournaments.[10]

Club career

Following a year of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) recovery,[11] Iwai joined Swedish club FC Rosengård in February 2026.[12] She made her professional debut and return from injury on February 14, starting at left back in a 1–1 draw against Vittsjö GIK in the Swedish Cup.[13]

International career

Iwai represented the Japan under-16 team at the 2017 AFC U-16 Women's Championship, where they came in third place.[1] She was later a captain for the under-17 team.[1] She made the roster for the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and appeared as a substitute in a 6–0 victory over South Africa in the group stage.[14]

Personal life

Iwai is the daughter of Ayako and Ayumu Iwai.[1] Her father is the head coach of the Japan men's national flag football team.[1] Her younger brother, Ray, plays college football at New Mexico.[3]

Honors

Florida State Seminoles

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Ran Iwai". Florida State Seminoles. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b "「日本人選手は上位20校を目指すべき」女子サッカー大学王者が語る"プライベートジェットで移動"するアメリカNCAAの魅力" ['Japanese players should aim for the top 20 schools' – Women's college soccer champion talks about the appeal of "traveling by private jet" in the American NCAA]. Real Sports (in Japanese). 20 April 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Williams, Jack (17 November 2023). "Florida State's soccer Ran Iwai's journey from Japan to 'new home' in Tallahassee". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  4. ^ "練習にドローン！米国大学女子サッカーと日本の違い 史上初の快挙！ＮＣＡＡ決勝戦で実現した日本人対決を両選手が振り返る" [Drones in practice! The difference between American women's college soccer and Japan. A historic first! Both players look back on the Japanese showdown that took place in the NCAA finals]. targma.jp (in Japanese). 16 June 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  5. ^ Tisnes, Gabe (5 December 2021). "FSU soccer advances to College Cup final". FSUNews.com. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  6. ^ Joffer, Prince Akeem (7 December 2021). "Champs! FSU soccer wins 3rd title". Tomahawk Nation. SB Nation. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  7. ^ Kassim, Ehsan (18 November 2022). "Florida State women's soccer: Seminoles dominate second half to defeat LSU in NCAA second round". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  8. ^ Kassim, Ehsan (4 December 2023). "Game recap: FSU soccer dominates Stanford 5-1 to claim NCAA Women's Soccer Championship". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Florida State soccer rolls past Samford 8-0 in NCAA Tournament". FSView & Florida Flambeau. 18 November 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  10. ^ "Florida State Claims Fifth Consecutive ACC Tournament Championship". Florida State Seminoles. 10 November 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  11. ^ 岩井蘭　Ran Iwai [@ranrun329]; (2 March 2025). "ACL断裂からのリハビリにたっぷり時間を使った2025年". Retrieved 16 March 2026 – via Instagram.
  12. ^ "Engelskan går mot strömmen: 'Jag gillade vad laget visade'". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). 10 February 2026. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  13. ^ Wiman, Max (14 February 2026). "Sen kvittering tröst för FCR: 'Surt att gå härifrån mållösa'". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  14. ^ "FIFA U-17女子ワールドカップ ウルグアイ 2018". Japan Football Association. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
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