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Amanda Kowalski (soccer)

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Amanda Kowalski
Personal information
Full name Amanda Kowalski Fick
Birth name Amanda Kowalski
Date of birth (1998-01-09) January 9, 1998 (age 27)[1]
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2]
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
Eclipse Select
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2021 Butler Bulldogs 92 (6)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2023 Chicago Red Stars 19 (3)
2024 Tampa Bay Sun 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of June 3, 2025

Amanda Kowalski Fick (née Kowalski; born January 8, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who most recently played as a defender for USL Super League club Tampa Bay Sun FC. She previously played for the Chicago Red Stars of the NWSL, winning the team's Rookie of the Year award in 2022. She played college soccer for the Butler Bulldogs.

Early life

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Kowalski grew up in Arlington Heights, Illinois, as one of three children born to Drew and Sue Kowalski.[2] She attended Buffalo Grove High School, where she was a multi-sport athlete. She was a member of the school's 4 × 400 relay record-setting team and also helped Buffalo Grove's basketball team win two regional championships.[3] Kowalski only played on the soccer team as a sophomore before dedicating her time completely to club team Eclipse Select.[4] With Eclipse Select, she won two ECNL National Championships and 4 Midwest Conference Championships.[2][3] She was also a member of Illinois' ODP team, captaining the squad for one year and also helping the team to a national final appearance in 2014.[2]

College career

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Despite joining the Butler Bulldogs in 2016, Kowalski was forced to redshirt her freshman year due to an ACL tear prior to arriving on campus.[5] Upon return, she cemented herself as a key player for the Bulldogs and played in every single one of Butler's matches for the next three seasons.[2] She recorded her first collegiate assist on September 1, 2017, assisting fellow defender Annika Schmidt's game-winner against Eastern Michigan. The following year, Kowalski scored her first college goal, helping Butler defeat Evansville on September 6, 2018.[6] Later on in 2018, she was a contributor in the Bulldogs' Big East Tournament playoff run. She registered an assist in Butler's 3–2 semifinal win over Providence, but the team ended up losing the final to Georgetown.[7] As a redshirt junior, Kowalski started 16 matches and made 4 assists. In late September, she was also named the Big East Defender of the Week following a strong performance against Seton Hall.[2] Kowalski played two more seasons with Butler, including a fifth year via the NCAA's additional college eligibility afforded to players due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] In both campaigns, she earned a conference Defensive Player of the Week honor. Kowalski finished her college career with 92 matches and 6 goals recorded.[2]

Club career

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Chicago Red Stars

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Kowalski went undrafted in the 2022 NWSL Draft, but later linked up with the Chicago Red Stars as a preseason trialist.[3] Originally, she signed a national team replacement player contract with the club.[9] However, due to a knee injury to Tierna Davidson, Kowalski was able to sign a permanent, three-year contract on April 4, 2022.[10] She started and played 90 minutes in her professional debut, an NWSL Challenge Cup loss to the Houston Dash.[3][11] The next match, she scored her first pro goal, helping the Red Stars reach a 1–1 tie with Racing Louisville.[9] She went on to score three more goals across the NWSL season, all of which were headed goals from corner kicks.[5] One of her goals was a stoppage-time header on July 10 that helped Chicago salvage a 2–2 draw against the North Carolina Courage.[12] Kowalski ended up playing in 17 of the Red Stars' 22 matches, starting 12 of them. She also helped the team qualify for the NWSL playoffs, where they were defeated by the San Diego Wave in the quarterfinals.[5] At the end of the season, she was crowned the Red Stars' Rookie of the Year.[13]

In 2023, Kowalski saw her playing time decrease significantly, due in part to the return of several USWNT players to Chicago's backline.[14] She finished the season with 3 appearances across all competitions (1 start).[15] Prior to 2024, the Red Stars released Kowalski from her contract in order to reduce the size of their roster.[16]

Tampa Bay Sun

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On June 11, 2024, Tampa Bay Sun FC signed Kowalski ahead of the inaugural USL Super League season.[17][14] However, she did not play in any matches or appear on any gameday rosters for Tampa Bay as the team finished in 2nd place and qualified for the playoffs.[15][18]

Personal life

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Kowalski married Zach Fick in December 2023.[19]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of June 3, 2025[15]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[a] Playoffs[b] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chicago Red Stars 2022 NWSL 17 3 3 1 0 0 20 4
2023 2 0 1 0 — 3 0
Total 19 3 4 1 0 0 23 4
Tampa Bay Sun FC 2024–25 USL Super League 0 0 — 0 0 0 0
Career total 19 3 4 1 0 0 23 4
  1. ^ Includes the NWSL Challenge Cup
  2. ^ Includes NWSL Playoffs and USL Super League Playoffs

References

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  1. ^ "Amanda Kowalski". NWSL. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Amanda Kowalski - 2021 - Women's Soccer". Butler University Athletics. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Martorano, Dion (April 14, 2022). "Kowalski Reaches Pros With Red Stars". Journal & Topics Media Group. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  4. ^ Leusch, John (April 18, 2016). "Soccer: Buffalo Grove's Kowalski makes the Butler connection". Daily Herald. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c Kaufman, Jake (November 9, 2022). "Butler alum Amanda Kowalski shines for Chicago Red Stars". The Butler Collegian. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  6. ^ "No. 22 Takes Down Evansville 4-0". Butler University Athletics. September 6, 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  7. ^ "Holds Off Providence 3-2 in BIG EAST Semifinal". Butler University Athletics. November 1, 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  8. ^ "Senior Bulldogs get their lost season back". The Butler Collegian. September 1, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Amanda Kowalski's mindset doesn't change as she starts Red Stars' career". WGN9. April 30, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  10. ^ Marchio, Colby (April 4, 2022). "Chicago Red Stars Sign Local Product Amanda Kowalski". On Tap Sports Net. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  11. ^ Braun, Jessa (April 14, 2022). "Five new players to watch as the NWSL Challenge Cup resumes". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  12. ^ "NWSL Results: Dramatic draws for Reign-Thorns and Red Stars-Courage; Kansas City fends off late challenge from Washington". Equalizer Soccer. July 10, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  13. ^ Martorano, Dion (December 2, 2022). "Kowalski Named Red Stars Rookie Of The Year". Journal & Topics Media Group. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  14. ^ a b Knowles, James. "Tampa Bay Sun FC's Rising with Potential: How The First Signings Could Shape the Season". RBLR Sports. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c Amanda Kowalski at Soccerway
  16. ^ "Chicago Red Stars 2024 Preseason Roster Update". Chicago Stars FC. February 26, 2024. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  17. ^ @tampabaysunfc; (June 11, 2024). "Adding another DEFENDER to the core! Welcome, Amanda Kowalski!" – via Instagram.
  18. ^ Carskadon, Bob (May 21, 2025). "Tampa Bay Sun host final regular season match, clinch first-ever playoff appearance". That's So Tampa. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  19. ^ Kowalski, Amanda [@amandaplease5]; (December 1, 2023). "wedding month🤍" – via Instagram.
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