She played college soccer for the California Golden Bears, where she scored 16 goals in her senior season and was named the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Offensive Player of the Year.
Her father, Dave Lema, played football at San Jose City College, and her mother, Annie Bergholz, ran track at Northern Colorado.
[2][3] She then attended Live Oak High School, where she competed in track and volleyball in addition to starring on the soccer team, being named the Blossom Valley Athletic League most valuable player three times.
[6][7] Lema ended the 2024 season with 16 goals (fourth-most in program history) and 6 assists in 21 appearances and was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-ACC.
[1][6] In 2024, Lema featured in the USL W League with the San Francisco Glens, earning Player of the Match honors for the defending NorCal Division and Western Conference champions after notching a goal and assist against the Marin FC Siren on June 13.