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.
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]
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]
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]
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]
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