Ava Cook

Ava Cook (born October 3, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Chicago Stars FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Grand Valley State Lakers and the Michigan State Spartans. She was selected by the Red Stars in the second round of the 2022 NWSL Draft.

Ava Cook

Cook with the Chicago Stars in 2025
Personal information
Date of birth	(1998-10-03) October 3, 1998 (age 26)[1]
Place of birth	Battle Creek, Michigan
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Chicago Stars
Number	7
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017–2021	Grand Valley State Lakers	82	(74)
2021	Michigan State Spartans	17	(7)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2022–	Chicago Stars	42	(6)
International career‡
2022	United States U23	2	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of April 24, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of April 24, 2024

Early life

Cook grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan, and played high school soccer and basketball for Lakeview High School.^[2][3] She played youth soccer for Midwest United.^[2]

College career

Cook played four years of NCAA Division II college soccer at Grand Valley State University from 2017 to 2021, winning Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) titles in all four seasons.^[2][4] She was named second-team All-American and first-team All-GLIAC after leading the conference with 24 goals as a sophomore in 2018.^[2] She was named first-team All-American after leading Division II with 29 goals as a junior in 2019.^[2] She transferred to Michigan State University for a fifth season and was named second-team All-Big Ten after leading the team with seven goals.^[5]

Club career

The Chicago Red Stars (later renamed Chicago Stars FC) selected Cook 18th overall in the second round of the 2022 NWSL Draft.^[3][6] She became a regular player and then starter for the Red Stars, appearing in 19 games of the 24-game NWSL season in 2022 and 20 games in 2023.^[7]

In mid-April 2024, after appearing in 3 games of the NWSL season, Cook tore her ACL, causing her to miss the remainder of the season.^[7][8]

International career

Cook was called up to the United States national under-23 team for a friendly tournament in June 2022.^[9] She scored her first goal for the team against India on June 26 and scored again against Sweden on June 28.^[10][11]