Mackenzie Wood Bio
Mackenzie Kay Wood (born July 4, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper. She is currently on loan at Portland Thorns FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) from Chicago Stars FC, where she is signed through 2027. Wood previously played college soccer for the Northwestern Wildcats and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and she has represented the United States at multiple youth national team levels.
Standing at 5 feet 9 inches, Wood has built a reputation as a composed shot-stopper with strong decision-making and distribution. She balances her playing career with advanced academic work, holding multiple degrees and pursuing graduate study in sports analytics and data science.
Early Life and Background
Mackenzie Kay Wood was raised in Granger, Indiana, near South Bend, the daughter of Matt and Kiley Wood. She attended Penn High School, where she captained both her school team and her Indiana Fire club team. As a sophomore in 2015, she helped her high school reach the Indiana state final, although the team finished as runners-up.
In her senior year in 2017, Wood posted 20 clean sheets as Penn High School completed an undefeated season and won the state championship. That performance earned her All-American recognition from TopDrawerSoccer. During her high school years, she was also called into United States under-16 and under-18 national team training camps in 2016 and 2017, marking her as one of the top young goalkeepers in the country.
Path to Soccer
Wood’s path to the professional ranks began at Northwestern University, where she became the starting goalkeeper as a freshman for the Northwestern Wildcats in 2018. In her debut collegiate season, she led the Big Ten Conference with a 0.650 goals against average and recorded eight shutouts across nineteen games, earning Big Ten All-Freshman team honors and the team’s Most Valuable Player award.
She went on to start all 67 games for the Wildcats across four seasons. Outside of the 2020 season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, she posted more than 70 saves in three different seasons. After graduating from Northwestern with degrees in statistics and communication studies, Wood entered the transfer portal and joined the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for a fifth season of eligibility granted because of the pandemic.
Mackenzie Wood Career
Early Career (2018–2022)
At Northwestern, Wood quickly established herself as one of the top goalkeepers in the Big Ten, anchoring the Wildcats’ defense for four straight years. Her save totals and shutouts placed her among the conference’s elite shot-stoppers, and she was widely recognized as one of the top young goalkeepers in American college soccer.
Following her graduate transfer to Notre Dame for the 2022 season, Wood enjoyed the finest statistical year of her collegiate career. She allowed only five goals across twelve regular-season games, recording nine clean sheets and leading the ACC with a career-best 0.600 goals against average. She earned third-team All-ACC honors, helped the Fighting Irish finish third in the ACC, and guided Notre Dame through three consecutive NCAA tournament shutouts before the team’s quarterfinal exit.
NWSL Debut and Reims Loan (2023–2024)
Wood joined the Chicago Red Stars, later renamed Chicago Stars FC, as a non-roster trialist during the 2023 preseason. On March 25, 2023, she signed with the club on an injury replacement contract and made her professional debut on April 8 in a friendly against the Mexico national team. Later that summer, on August 30, she signed a new three-year deal with an option for an additional year and was sent on a season-long loan to French Division 1 Féminine side Reims.
At Reims, Wood served as the second-choice goalkeeper behind Kinga Szemik, earning two starts in the Coupe de France Féminine in January 2024. She was recalled to Chicago ahead of the 2024 NWSL preseason and made her NWSL regular-season debut on May 13, 2024, entering as a 62nd-minute substitute for an injured Alyssa Naeher in a 3–1 win over the Utah Royals. She followed that with her first NWSL starts against NJ/NY Gotham FC and Racing Louisville FC, and also appeared in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.
Chicago Stars Era (2024–Present)
After returning from Reims, Wood worked her way into the Chicago Stars’ first-team plans during the 2024 NWSL season. In May 2025, she suffered an injury that placed her on the 45-day injury list, limiting her availability during the early part of the campaign.
Despite the setback, the Stars re-signed Wood in June 2025 to a contract that runs through 2027, signaling their long-term confidence in her development. In March 2026, the club arranged a season-long loan move to Portland Thorns FC to give her additional first-team minutes.
Notable Events and Milestones
Wood’s signature early milestones include her 20-clean-sheet senior season at Penn High School and her Big Ten-leading freshman year at Northwestern in 2018. She added her All-ACC third-team recognition in 2022 at Notre Dame, and in 2024 she recorded her first NWSL minutes and starts with the Chicago Stars.
Mackenzie Wood Career Wins
Although specific win totals by series are not fully verified, Wood’s career already includes the Indiana state championship at Penn High School in 2017, a deep NCAA tournament run with Notre Dame in 2022, and an NWSL regular-season victory over the Utah Royals in her debut appearance in May 2024.
Other Wins & Performances
Beyond her team results, Wood has earned individual honors including Big Ten All-Freshman team selection, Northwestern’s team MVP award, third-team All-ACC recognition, and All-American honors from TopDrawerSoccer during her senior year of high school.
Mackenzie Wood Family
Family Background and Soccer Lineage
Mackenzie Kay Wood was raised in Granger, Indiana, by her parents, Matt and Kiley Wood. The family has been a consistent presence throughout her development, supporting her progression from Indiana Fire youth soccer through her college career and into the NWSL.
Personal Life
Wood maintains an active presence on social media and is represented professionally through her verified Instagram account. Her public profile reflects her dual focus on elite-level goalkeeping and continued graduate study in sports analytics and data science.
2025 Season Performance
Wood’s 2025 NWSL campaign with the Chicago Stars was disrupted early when a May injury placed her on the 45-day injury list, limiting her game action during the opening months of the season. Despite the setback, the Stars showed faith in her long-term potential by re-signing her in June to a contract that runs through 2027.
The new deal underscored the club’s view of Wood as a key building block between the posts for the coming seasons. With her recovery progressing through the summer, Wood worked to regain full match fitness and re-establish herself within Chicago’s goalkeeping corps heading into the back half of the year.
Looking ahead, the Stars’ commitment through 2027 gives Wood stability and a clear runway to compete for the starting role, while her March 2026 loan to Portland Thorns is designed to accelerate her professional growth with regular first-team minutes in the NWSL.