2018 Women's Soccer Roster
Jersey Number 27
Kayla Sharples
- Height:
- 5-11
- Class:
- Senior
- High School:
- Naperville North
- Hometown:
- Naperville, Ill.
Bio
Career: Led Northwestern to a program-best four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances ... Stalwart member of the 2016 Big Ten Championship squad ... Started every match over four years ... The 86-straight start streak was second-best in program history ... Helped anchor a defense that delivered 47 shutouts ... Scored nine goals, including seven game-winners as a defender ... Also finished with five assists ... Twice named to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America Third Team.
2018: Pivotal part of a Northwestern defense that limited opposing teams to .68 goals per game en route to making the NCAA Tournament ... In all, NU had eight shutouts in the season ... Northwestern posted the longest shutout streak in program history, a 668:42 mark from August 19 to September 14 ... Started all 19 games, playing the entire possible 1,810 minutes this season ... Netted three goals, all game-winners ... Earned All-Big Ten First Team honors ... United Soccer Coaches All-North Region First Team ... Top Drawer Soccer Best XI Third Team ... First Team United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-North/Central Region ... Academic All-Big Ten ... Named Big Ten Defensive Player of the week after leading the Wildcats to a 2-0 start ... Awarded All-Tournament Team honors for the Boiler Challenge Clp and the Hoosier Challenge Cup ... Added a shot on goal in a 1-1 draw against Iowa (Oct. 21) ... Tallied a shot on goal against Indiana, her eighth of the year (Oct. 11) ... Scored a goal against Michigan, her third of the year, to help the 'Cats win 4-1 (Sept. 28) ... Scored a goal in the first game of the year to beat Miami, 2-1 (Aug. 17) ... Named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List ... Academic All-Big Ten.
2017: Started all 23 matches and played all 2,146 minutes of the season ... Helped lead the ’Cats to 11 shutouts and a runner-up spot in the Big Ten Tournament ... Ended with three goals, including two game-winners ... Also added three assists ... Awarded First Team All-Big Ten honors ... United Soccer Coaches All-North Region First Team ... Earned Second Team TopDrawerSoccer.com Starting XI honors ... First Team United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-North/Central Region ... Academic All-Big Ten ... Named to the Preseason Big Ten Honors List ... Scored the game-winning goal in the first match of the season vs DePaul (8/18) ... Assisted the game-tying goal in the 86th minute vs Loyola Marymount (8/27) ... Scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win over Ohio State (9/17) ... Ranked third on the team in assists, with three ... Anchored the defense to eleven total shutouts for the season, playing every minute.
2016: Started every match on the season, helping NU to a Big Ten Championship … Awarded First Team All-Big Ten honors ... NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region First Team ... Top Drawer Soccer Top-100 ... One of only three team members to play over 2,000 minutes … Played every minute in 20 of 23 games, including each of the last 18 … Helped anchor a defense that shut out the opponent 17 times, including eight times against conference opponents ... Defense only allowed seven goals, tied for the fewest in the nation ... Finished third on the team with eight points … Scored the game-winning overtime goal against Illinois to give Northwestern its first ever Big Ten regular season title … Recorded assists in wins over James Madison and Illinois State … Scored with her lone shot against Maryland in a 4-1 win … Scored the first goal in a 3-0 win over Kent State in the first round of the NCAA tournament … Academic All-Big Ten.
2015: Named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team … Started every game and played every minute except for two halves the entire season … Played in all 11 shutouts, a Northwestern program record … Took 2 shots in her collegiate debut in the 2-1 season opening victory over Saint Louis … Appeared in three straight clean sheets against North Dakota, Valpo, and Boston … Played the entire 110 minutes in the double overtime 0-0 draw against Missouri … Played the full match in back to back shutouts of Colorado and Purdue … Played the full match in consecutive shutouts against UMD and #11 Rutgers … Played 90 minutes in two straight shutouts against Iowa and Illinois.
Before Northwestern: Started at center back as a freshman for the 24-1-2 Class 3A Illinois state champions, surrendering only 10 goals in 27 games while scoring five of her own … 2012 First Team All-Conference … High school teammate of current Wildcats Jen Korn and Maria Grygleski … 2009-12 Olympic Development Program State Team … 2011-13 ODP Region II Team … 2012 National Development Camp participant … Played six seasons of club soccer for Eclipse Select with future Northwestern teammates Hannah Davison and Aspyn Repp, competing against future Wildcats teammates Grace Orndorff, Michele Chernesky, Jenny Haskel, Brenna Lovera and Marisa Viggiano … 2014 ECNL National Finalists … 2014 U18 State Cup champions … 2013 U19 State Cup champions (while playing U17) … 2013 Disney Cup champions … 2012 ECNL Midwest champions … 2011 Region II Champions and National Finalists … 2011 Illinois State Cup champions … 2011 Dallas Cup champions … Also played four seasons of basketball at Naperville North, scoring more than 1,600 as a four-year starter … Averaged 18.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.3 steals as a senior captain for the Huskies … 2012 Naperville Sun All-Area Freshman of the Year … 2014 & 2015 Team MVP … Named to 2012-14 Daily Herald Top-12 Girls Basketball Players In DuPage County Chose … 2014 All-State Honorable Mention … National Honor Society … Spanish Honor Society … 2014-15 Illinois State Scholar … Northwestern over Illinois, Michigan, Iowa and Boston College
Personal: Parents Matthew & Michele … Father played basketball at the University of Chicago … Older brother Connor attends Northwestern … Uncle rowed crew at Harvard University … Major is Communication Studies, minor is Business Institutions, certificate in Integrated Marketing Communications
2018: Pivotal part of a Northwestern defense that limited opposing teams to .68 goals per game en route to making the NCAA Tournament ... In all, NU had eight shutouts in the season ... Northwestern posted the longest shutout streak in program history, a 668:42 mark from August 19 to September 14 ... Started all 19 games, playing the entire possible 1,810 minutes this season ... Netted three goals, all game-winners ... Earned All-Big Ten First Team honors ... United Soccer Coaches All-North Region First Team ... Top Drawer Soccer Best XI Third Team ... First Team United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-North/Central Region ... Academic All-Big Ten ... Named Big Ten Defensive Player of the week after leading the Wildcats to a 2-0 start ... Awarded All-Tournament Team honors for the Boiler Challenge Clp and the Hoosier Challenge Cup ... Added a shot on goal in a 1-1 draw against Iowa (Oct. 21) ... Tallied a shot on goal against Indiana, her eighth of the year (Oct. 11) ... Scored a goal against Michigan, her third of the year, to help the 'Cats win 4-1 (Sept. 28) ... Scored a goal in the first game of the year to beat Miami, 2-1 (Aug. 17) ... Named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List ... Academic All-Big Ten.
2017: Started all 23 matches and played all 2,146 minutes of the season ... Helped lead the ’Cats to 11 shutouts and a runner-up spot in the Big Ten Tournament ... Ended with three goals, including two game-winners ... Also added three assists ... Awarded First Team All-Big Ten honors ... United Soccer Coaches All-North Region First Team ... Earned Second Team TopDrawerSoccer.com Starting XI honors ... First Team United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-North/Central Region ... Academic All-Big Ten ... Named to the Preseason Big Ten Honors List ... Scored the game-winning goal in the first match of the season vs DePaul (8/18) ... Assisted the game-tying goal in the 86th minute vs Loyola Marymount (8/27) ... Scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win over Ohio State (9/17) ... Ranked third on the team in assists, with three ... Anchored the defense to eleven total shutouts for the season, playing every minute.
2016: Started every match on the season, helping NU to a Big Ten Championship … Awarded First Team All-Big Ten honors ... NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region First Team ... Top Drawer Soccer Top-100 ... One of only three team members to play over 2,000 minutes … Played every minute in 20 of 23 games, including each of the last 18 … Helped anchor a defense that shut out the opponent 17 times, including eight times against conference opponents ... Defense only allowed seven goals, tied for the fewest in the nation ... Finished third on the team with eight points … Scored the game-winning overtime goal against Illinois to give Northwestern its first ever Big Ten regular season title … Recorded assists in wins over James Madison and Illinois State … Scored with her lone shot against Maryland in a 4-1 win … Scored the first goal in a 3-0 win over Kent State in the first round of the NCAA tournament … Academic All-Big Ten.
2015: Named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team … Started every game and played every minute except for two halves the entire season … Played in all 11 shutouts, a Northwestern program record … Took 2 shots in her collegiate debut in the 2-1 season opening victory over Saint Louis … Appeared in three straight clean sheets against North Dakota, Valpo, and Boston … Played the entire 110 minutes in the double overtime 0-0 draw against Missouri … Played the full match in back to back shutouts of Colorado and Purdue … Played the full match in consecutive shutouts against UMD and #11 Rutgers … Played 90 minutes in two straight shutouts against Iowa and Illinois.
Before Northwestern: Started at center back as a freshman for the 24-1-2 Class 3A Illinois state champions, surrendering only 10 goals in 27 games while scoring five of her own … 2012 First Team All-Conference … High school teammate of current Wildcats Jen Korn and Maria Grygleski … 2009-12 Olympic Development Program State Team … 2011-13 ODP Region II Team … 2012 National Development Camp participant … Played six seasons of club soccer for Eclipse Select with future Northwestern teammates Hannah Davison and Aspyn Repp, competing against future Wildcats teammates Grace Orndorff, Michele Chernesky, Jenny Haskel, Brenna Lovera and Marisa Viggiano … 2014 ECNL National Finalists … 2014 U18 State Cup champions … 2013 U19 State Cup champions (while playing U17) … 2013 Disney Cup champions … 2012 ECNL Midwest champions … 2011 Region II Champions and National Finalists … 2011 Illinois State Cup champions … 2011 Dallas Cup champions … Also played four seasons of basketball at Naperville North, scoring more than 1,600 as a four-year starter … Averaged 18.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.3 steals as a senior captain for the Huskies … 2012 Naperville Sun All-Area Freshman of the Year … 2014 & 2015 Team MVP … Named to 2012-14 Daily Herald Top-12 Girls Basketball Players In DuPage County Chose … 2014 All-State Honorable Mention … National Honor Society … Spanish Honor Society … 2014-15 Illinois State Scholar … Northwestern over Illinois, Michigan, Iowa and Boston College
Personal: Parents Matthew & Michele … Father played basketball at the University of Chicago … Older brother Connor attends Northwestern … Uncle rowed crew at Harvard University … Major is Communication Studies, minor is Business Institutions, certificate in Integrated Marketing Communications
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