Mackenzie Gress

Last updated

Mackenzie Gress
Personal information
Full name Mackenzie Lynn Gress [1]
Date of birth (2004-06-03) June 3, 2004 (age 21) [1]
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
Penn State Nittany Lions
Number 1
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2022– Penn State Nittany Lions 17 (0)
International career
2020 United States U-16 2 (0)
2024 United States U-20 4 (0)
Medal record
Women's soccer
FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg Colombia 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of September 21, 2024

Mackenzie Lynn Gress (born June 3, 2004) is an American college soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Contents

Early life and college career

Raised in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, Gress attended Lyndhurst High School but never played prep soccer there. [2] She played club soccer for STA Girls Academy and was ranked by TopDrawerSoccer as the third-best goalkeeper of the 2022 class. [3] She committed to Penn State as a freshman. [4]

Penn State Nittany Lions

Gress redshirted her first season with the Penn State Nittany Lions and made only 4 appearances as an understudy to Kat Asman in the 2023 season. [5] She became Penn State's first-choice goalkeeper in the 2024 season, though she missed a stretch of games while at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and due to concussion protocol afterwards. She made 53 saves and kept 4 clean sheets in 13 starts, helping Penn State reach the NCAA tournament quarterfinals. [6] [7]

International career

Gress was called up to the United States national under-14 team in 2018. [8] She played friendlies for the United States at the under-16 and under-20 levels. She was included on tournament rosters as Teagan Wy's backup at the 2023 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship and the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, where the United States won bronze, its best result since 2012. [9] [10]

References

  1. 1 2 "FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Colombia 2024 Squad Lists" (PDF). FIFA. p. 23. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  2. Hague, Jim. "Lyndhurst’s Gress signs with Penn State women’s soccer", The New York Observer , November 16, 2021. Accessed July 1, 2025. "Although she never played a minute of girls’ soccer at Lyndhurst High School, Mackenzie Gress was treated like Golden Bear royalty last week, when she signed her national letter of intent to attend Penn State University and play soccer there next fall."
  3. "Mackenzie Gress". Penn State Nittany Lions . Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  4. "Recruiting Roundup: April 1–7". TopDrawerSoccer . Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  5. McKenna, Ryan. "Penn State women's soccer position preview | Goalkeepers". Daily Collegian . Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  6. Bernstein, Jason (December 11, 2024). "Lyndhurst's Mackenzie Gress has breakthrough year at Penn State". The Observer . Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  7. Miranda, Sofia (September 24, 2024). "Dambach discusses keys to road success for Penn State women's soccer". Daily Collegian . Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  8. "U14 GNT opens up 2018 with camp in Norco". United States Soccer Federation. February 23, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2024 via TopDrawerSoccer .
  9. Mackenzie Gress at Soccerway OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  10. "USA Scores Dramatic 119th-Minute Game-Winner To Defeat The Netherlands 2-1 And Finish Third At 2024 FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup". United States Soccer Federation. September 22, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.