Mackenzie Wood

Mackenzie Wood
Wood with the Chicago Red Stars in 2024
Personal information
Full name Mackenzie Kay Wood
Date of birth (2000-07-04) July 4, 2000 (age 24)
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Chicago Red Stars
Number 19
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2021 Northwestern Wildcats 67 (0)
2022 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 18 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023– Chicago Red Stars 3 (0)
2023–2024 → Stade de Reims (loan) 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of May 1, 2024

Mackenzie Kay Wood (born July 4, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played collegiately for the Northwestern Wildcats and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Early life

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Wood was raised in Granger, Indiana, near South Bend, the daughter of Matt and Kiley Wood.[1] She captained her Indiana Fire club team and her team at Penn High School.[1] She helped her school team reach the state final as a sophomore in 2015, but finished runners-up.[2] In her senior year in 2017, she posted 20 clean sheets as her school team became undefeated state champions and was recognized as an All-American by TopDrawerSoccer.[3] While in high school, she was called into national training camps with the United States under-16 and under-18 teams in 2016 and 2017.[1]

College career

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Wood was the starting goalkeeper for the Northwestern Wildcats beginning as a freshman.[4] In the 2018 season, she led the Big Ten Conference with 0.650 goals against average and recorded eight shutouts in nineteen games, being named to the Big Ten all-freshman team and Northwestern's most valuable player. She started all 67 games for the Wildcats over four years. Outside of the 2020 season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, she posted more than 70 saves in three seasons.[1][5] She graduated with degrees in statistics and communication studies.[6]

Wood then entered the transfer portal and joined the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for her fifth season of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2022 regular season, she allowed only five goals in twelve games, including nine clean sheets, to help the Fighting Irish place third in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[7] She led the ACC with a career-best 0.600 goals against average and had a career-high ten shutouts, receiving third-team All-ACC honors. She helped Notre Dame hold its first three opponents in the NCAA tournament scoreless before falling in the quarterfinals.[8] She earned her master's degree in sports analytics and studied for another master's in data science.[6]

Club career

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Wood was invited to train with the Chicago Red Stars as a non-roster trialist in the 2023 preseason.[9] She signed an injury replacement contract with the team on March 25 and made her professional debut in a friendly against the Mexico national team on April 8.[10][11] On August 30, she signed a three-year contract with a one-year option and was immediately loaned to French club Stade de Reims for a year.[12] She made two starts for Reims in the Coupe de France féminine in January 2024.[13]

Wood was called back to the Red Stars during the 2024 preseason.[9] She made her first NWSL appearance on May 13, 2024, substituting for Alyssa Naeher due to injury in the 62nd minute of the 3–1 win against the Utah Royals.[14][15] She made her first NWSL regular-season starts in losses to NJ/NY Gotham FC and Racing Louisville FC over the next two weeks.[16][17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Mackenzie Wood – 2021 – Women's Soccer". Northwestern Wildcats. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  2. ^ Bagley, Lewis (November 1, 2015). "Penn girls fall short of state title". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  3. ^ Shealer, Sheldon (July 24, 2018). "HS Girls: TDS Fall All-American". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Goldsmith, Charlie (September 26, 2018). "Women's Soccer: Freshman Mackenzie Wood is ahead of the curve". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "Mackenzie Wood Joins Irish Family". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. March 23, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  6. ^ a b King, Marshall V. "Mackenzie Wood's Journey to Notre Dame: A Testament to Excellence". Mendoza College of Business. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  7. ^ Frommer, Justin (October 28, 2022). "'Full circle moment': Mackenzie Wood gets hometown swan song that wasn't always in her plans". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  8. ^ "Mackenzie Wood". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Chicago Red Stars Recall Goalkeeper, Mackenzie Wood, From Loan". Chicago Red Stars. February 6, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  10. ^ "Chicago Red Stars sign Cheyna Matthews and Sami Feller" (Press release). Chicago Red Stars. March 25, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  11. ^ "Chicago Red Stars Lose to Mexico Women's National Team 5–2". Chicago Red Stars. April 8, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  12. ^ "Chicago Red Stars Sign and Loan Goalkeeper Mackenzie Wood". Chicago Red Stars. August 23, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  13. ^ Chatz, Joe (May 17, 2024). "Chicago Red Stars Injury Update: Alyssa Naeher Unlikely vs. Gotham FC". On Tap Sports Net. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  14. ^ "Chicago Red Stars Beat Utah at Home, 3–1". Chicago Red Stars. May 13, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  15. ^ "USWNT goalkeeper Naeher subbed off for Chicago Red Stars with injury". Pro Soccer Wire. May 12, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  16. ^ "Chicago Red Stars Lose First Road Match, 2–1, to Gotham FC". Chicago Red Stars. May 19, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  17. ^ "Mackenzie Wood 2024 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
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