Kayla Sharples

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Kayla Sharples
Personal information
Full name Kayla Lynne Sharples[1]
Date of birth (1997-06-17) June 17, 1997 (age 26)
Place of birth Naperville, Illinois
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Bay FC
Number 27
Youth career
Eclipse Select
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Northwestern Wildcats 87 (9)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2023 Chicago Red Stars 35 (1)
2020 → KuPS (loan) 6 (1)
2021–2022 → Adelaide United (loan) 11 (1)
2024– Bay FC 4 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of April 22, 2024

Kayla Lynne Sharples (born June 17, 1997) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Bay FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

Early life[edit]

Sharples was born in Naperville, Illinois, and attended Naperville North High School where she played basketball and soccer, winning a state championship in soccer as a freshman in 2010.[3][4] She played club soccer with Eclipse Select, winning multiple state championships.[5] Her Chicago Red Stars jersey is displayed outside of Naperville North's gym, among jerseys of other professional athlete alumni.[6]

Northwestern Wildcats[edit]

Sharples attended Northwestern University where she played for the Northwestern Wildcats. She led the Wildcats to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances between 2015 and 2018, a best in program history. Their furthest NCAA appearance came in the 2016 tournament, reaching the Round of 16 where they ultimate fell to the #3 seed Duke Blue Devils. It was the Northwestern's best NCAA tournament appearance since 1998.[7] Sharples started all 87 of her matches for Northwestern, which included a streak of 86 straight starts, which is the second longest such streak in program history.[8]

Club career[edit]

Chicago Red Stars[edit]

Sharples was selected 26th overall in the 2019 NWSL College Draft by the Chicago Red Stars, her hometown team.[9][10] She made her professional debut on June 2, 2019, as a substitute in a 3–0 loss away to the Portland Thorns FC.[11] Sharples had limited minutes in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, but started in the final where the Red Stars lost the inaugural Challenge Cup Championship to the Houston Dash.[12] She suffered a season ending ACL injury on June 12, 2022, in a match against the Orlando Pride.[13] She made her return from injury on May 31, 2023, as a substitute during a Challenge Cup group stage match against Racing Louisville FC.

KuPS loan (2020)[edit]

In August 2020 Sharples received an offer to join Kuopion Palloseura on loan for the remainder of the 2020 Kansallinen Liiga season. After consulting with Chicago head coach Rory Dames who told her that she may not get playing time in the 2020 NWSL Fall Series, Sharples accepted the offer.[14] She made six total appearances, scoring one goal, contributing to KuPS's third place finish that season, the highest ever for the club in their history.[15][16]

Adelaide United loan (2021–22)[edit]

In December 2021, Sharples was loaned to Australian club Adelaide United, just before the beginning of the 2021–22 A-League Women season. Sharples stated that it had been a goal of hers to play in Australia due to the quality of the league.[17] Sharples missed the start of the season due to quarantine protocols upon entering Australia due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Following her quarantine, she started in 11 of Adelaide's 14 regular season matches, scoring one goal in a 3–0 win away to Western Sydney Wanderers on January 28, 2022.[18][19] Sharples was part of a squad that led the club to their first ever Finals appearance in fourteen A-League seasons. On March 13, Sharples started in the club's finals debut, but Adelaide ultimately lost 1–2 to eventual 2022 A-League grand final champion Melbourne Victory.[20][21] Following the loss, her loan concluded and she returned to the Chicago Red Stars to prepare for the 2022 NWSL season.

Bay FC[edit]

On December 21, 2023, Sharples signed with NWSL expansion side Bay FC, having become a free agent after her contract with Chicago expired.[22][10] She was part of Bay FC's inaugural starting eleven in their first regular season NWSL match, which was a win away to Angel City FC.[23]

Career statistics[edit]

Club[edit]

As of April 22, 2024
Club Season League Cup[a] Playoffs[b] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chicago Red Stars 2019 NWSL 2 0 — 0 0 — 2 0
2020 NWSL — 3 0 — 0[c] 0 3 0
2021 NWSL 14 0 2 0 0 0 — 16 0
2022 NWSL 8 0 4 0 0 0 — 12 0
2023 NWSL 11 1 4 0 — — 15 1
KuPS (loan) 2020 Kansallinen Liiga 6 1 0 0 — — 6 1
Adelaide United (loan) 2021–22 A-League 11 1 — 1 0 — 12 1
Bay FC 2024 NWSL 4 2 — — — 4 2
Career total 56 5 13 0 1 0 0 0 70 5
  1. ^ Includes the NWSL Challenge Cup
  2. ^ Includes NWSL Playoffs and A-League Women Finals series
  3. ^ NWSL Fall Series

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Undergraduate Degrees – School of Communication: Bachelor of Arts in Communication – Degree awarded March 29, 2019". One Hundred and Sixty-First Annual Commencement. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University. June 21, 2019. p. 21.
  2. ^ "Kayla Sharples - 2018 - Women's Soccer". Northwestern University Athletics.
  3. ^ Wernette, Jane (2017-08-28). "NSW Where Are They Now? // Kayla Sharples". NCTV17. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  4. ^ Machak, Kevin (2022-11-28). "Talking Soccer with Kayla Sharples". NCTV17. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  5. ^ Northwestern University Women's Soccer. "Kayla Sharples". Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  6. ^ Berry, Maggie. "Pro-athlete alumni honored during basketball game". The North Star. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  7. ^ Jung, Tristan (2016-11-20). "Duke knocks Northwestern women's soccer out of NCAA Tournament". Inside NU. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  8. ^ Northwestern Women's Soccer (10 January 2019). "Sharples, Viggiano, Davison Selected in NWSL Draft". Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  9. ^ Salazar, Emmanuel (2019-01-10). "Chicago Drafts Seven in 2019 NWSL College Draft". Chicago Red Stars. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  10. ^ a b Cornwell, Justin (2024-01-16). "Naperville natives Casey Krueger and Kayla Sharples leave the Chicago Red Stars". NCTV17. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  11. ^ Tribune, Matt Le Cren | Chicago (2019-07-05). "'It was like a dream come true': Naperville's Kayla Sharples makes pro debut with Chicago Red Stars". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  12. ^ "Kickin' It with Kayla Sharples". Northwestern Magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  13. ^ Balls, Women Kick. "Kayla Sharples Shares Her Journey Through ACL Recovery". Women Kick Balls. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  14. ^ Jones, Emily (2020-08-14). "Hill, Miller, Doniak, Boyd and Sharples on Loan for Offseason". Chicago Red Stars. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  15. ^ Tribune, Matt Le Cren | Chicago (2021-01-15). "'A great growing experience': Naperville North and Northwestern graduate Kayla Sharples scores first professional goal in Finland". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  16. ^ "KuPS:n puolustuksen puuttuva palanen – Kayla Sharples toivoo joukkueensa tekevän historiaa". Kansallinen Liiga. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  17. ^ "Reds loan American defender, Sharples". Adelaide United. 1 December 2021.
  18. ^ "Western Sydney Wanderers vs. Adelaide United - 28 January 2022 - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  19. ^ Filosi, Gianluca (2022-03-03). "Reds looking to kick on after finals berth insists Sharples". Adelaide United. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  20. ^ Gagliardi, Lee (13 March 2022). "Melbourne Victory edges Adelaide United in A-League Women semi-final". The New Daily. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  21. ^ "Melbourne Victory 2-1 Adelaide United (Mar 13, 2022) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  22. ^ "Bay FC signs free agent defender Kayla Sharples". Bay FC. 2023-12-21. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  23. ^ "Bay FC shocks Angel City with 1-0 win in first-ever NWSL game". The Mercury News. 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2024-04-13.

External links[edit]

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