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Stephanie Sparkowski

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Stephanie Sparkowski
Personal information
Full name Stephanie Elisabeth Sparkowski[1]
Date of birth (2002-04-18) April 18, 2002 (age 23)[2]
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Chicago Stars
Number 27
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2024 Michigan Wolverines 39 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022 Long Island Rough Riders 2 (0)
2025– Chicago Stars 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of June 3, 2025

Stephanie Elisabeth Sparkowski (born April 18, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Chicago Stars FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Michigan Wolverines.

Early life

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Sparkowski grew up in East Meadow, New York, where she attended East Meadow High School.[1] She captained the school's soccer team and was a four-year varsity letterwinner.[3] As a senior, she was named a Fall All-American and also received the opportunity to play in the 2019 Allstate High School All-American game.[4][5] The very same year, Sparkowski became the first female student to play on East Meadow's football team.[5][6] She played in 7 games as a placekicker, sometimes in a close timeframe with her soccer commitments.[7] She also played basketball and lacrosse for her school, as well as soccer with New York's ODP team.[1]

College career

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In her senior year of high school, Sparkowski committed to the University of Michigan.[8] She joined the Wolverines in 2021, but did not see any playing time in her first two seasons of college soccer.[1] She made her collegiate debut early in her junior year, appearing in a dominant victory over Central Michigan on September 4, 2022.[9] However, she only played in 2 more games and continued to experience time as a backup goalkeeper.[10] Following the departure of Izzy Nino in 2023, Sparkowski quickly ascended to a starting position and played in all 18 of Michigan's matches for two seasons in a row. She was responsible for 6 clean sheets in her first year at the helm and also sported an 81% save percentage. The Big Ten Conference recognized her performances with two consecutive Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honors in September 2023.[1] During the Wolverines' first-round NCAA tournament loss, she made 7 saves to help prevent a more lopsided defeat.[11] The following year, Michigan and got off to a slow start, conceding goals and going winless in the first 6 game of the season. In their seventh match, a home game against Alabama, Sparkowski helped turn the tide and made several saves to help the Wolverines earn a shutout victory.[12] Later on in the year, she broke her single-game save record and entered double digits, recording 10 against Penn State. In both of her latter two seasons, Sparkowski was recognized with the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.[1]

Club career

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Long Island Rough Riders

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During the offseason leading up to her junior year of college, Sparkowski played with the Long Island Rough Riders in the pre-professional USL W League.[13] She starred in two regular season matches and one playoff game.[2]

Chicago Stars

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After completing her time with Michigan, Sparkowski joined Chicago Stars FC's 2025 preseason squad as a non-rostered invitee.[14] Although she was not offered a contract at the start of the Stars' NWSL campaign, she was later met by an opportunity after Chicago goalkeeper Mackenzie Wood was placed on the 45-day injury list. On June 3, 2025, Sparkowski signed her first professional contract with the Stars, inking a roster relief contract to fill in for Wood.[15]

International career

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Sparkowski has attended various United States youth national team camps, with her first call-up arriving in 2016.[16] On March 13, 2017, she was invited to an under-16 training camp in San Diego.[17] Eight years later, Lisa Cole summoned Sparkowski back into the youth national team fold, inviting her to an under-23 training camp starting in March 2025.[18]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of June 3, 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Playoffs[a] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Long Island Rough Riders 2022[2] USL W League 2 0 — 1 0 3 0
Chicago Stars FC 2025 NWSL 0 0 — — 0 0
Career total 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 0
  1. ^ Includes the USL W League Playoffs and NWSL Playoffs

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Stephanie Sparkowski - Women's Soccer". University of Michigan Athletics. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Long Island Rough Riders - 2022 Playoffs - Roster - #1 - Stephanie Sparkowski -". USL W League. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  3. ^ "Star High School Soccer Player Breaking Barriers On The Football Field, Recording Perfect Kicking Record - CBS New York". CBS News. October 11, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  4. ^ "United Soccer Coaches Announces 2019 Fall High School All-America Teams". Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Stieglitz, Brian (December 13, 2018). "East Meadow soccer star becomes an 'Allstate All-American'". Herald Community Newspapers. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  6. ^ "Stephanie Sparkowski switches from soccer pitch to football field". Newsday. October 10, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  7. ^ Stoll, Nicholas (December 2, 2020). "With Sarah Fuller's historic kick, Stephanie Sparkowski finds inspiration". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  8. ^ Stieglitz, Brian (November 21, 2019). "Stephanie Sparkowski signs her National Letter of Intent". Herald Community Newspapers. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  9. ^ "Six Second-Half Goals Lift U-M over CMU". University of Michigan Athletics. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  10. ^ Day, Jack (September 27, 2022). "Michigan women's soccer loses to Nebraska 1-0 amid key injury". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  11. ^ "U-M Eliminated from NCAA Tournament by Princeton". University of Michigan Athletics. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  12. ^ Jain, Niyatee (September 9, 2024). "Sparkowski, Michigan prevail for first win of the season". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  13. ^ "Women's Rough Riders 'Round College". October 7, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  14. ^ "Chicago Stars FC Release Preseason Roster | Chicago Stars FC". Chicago Stars FC. January 27, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  15. ^ "Chicago Stars FC Places Mackenzie Wood on 45-Day Injury List, Signs Stephanie Sparkowski". Chicago Stars FC. June 3, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  16. ^ "Spotlight: Rough Riders' Stephanie Sparkowski". USL Youth. November 15, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  17. ^ "Roster announced for U.S. U-16 Girls National Team camp in San Diego". SoccerWire. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  18. ^ "24 Players Called Up for U.S. U-23 Women's National Team Training Camp in Los Angeles". US Soccer. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
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