Sara Wojdelko

Sara Wojdelko
Personal information
Full name Sara Nicole Wojdelko[1]
Date of birth (2003-05-14) May 14, 2003[2]
Place of birth Park Ridge, Illinois, U.S.
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
Washington Spirit
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2025 Vanderbilt Commodores 69 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2026– Washington Spirit 0 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Sara Nicole Wojdelko (born May 14, 2003) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Vanderbilt Commodores, earning second-team All-American honors in 2025.

Early life

Wojdelko was born in Park Ridge, Illinois, and raised in Northville, Michigan.[2] She didn't begin playing goalkeeper until she was twelve.[3] She then joined ECNL club Michigan Hawks.[4] She attended Northville High School, where she played basketball and football.[2]

College career

Wojdelko was redshirted as a freshman with the Vanderbilt Commodores in 2021.[3] In 2022, Kate Devine returned as the starter until Wojdelko won the job during the season.[3] She kept 4 clean sheets in 11 appearances.[2] In the NCAA tournament, she made a season-high six saves in a 1–0 win over Clemson, reaching the second round.[2] In 2023, she lost the starting competition to Devine and played just four games all season as the team missed the SEC tournament.[4]

Wojdelko re-won the starting job as both goalkeepers returned to the team in 2024.[3] During the NCAA tournament, she came to national prominence for her career-high 14-save performance against defending national champions Florida State in the second round.[3] After a 3–3 draw, she stopped two penalties in the resulting shootout to send Vanderbilt to the NCAA third round for the first time.[5] She finished the season with 7 clean sheets in 17 starts.[2]

Wojdelko returned to Vanderbilt for her fifth and final season in 2025.[6] She helped the Commodores win their fourth SEC tournament title, saving three penalties in the ten-round shootout against LSU in the final.[7] Vanderbilt earned a one seed in the NCAA tournament and reached the quarterfinals, both program firsts, and Wojdelko saved a regulation penalty in a rematch with LSU in the tournament.[8] She finished the season as the SEC leader in several categories with 58 saves, 0.567 goals against average, and 11 clean sheets in 23 games.[9] She was named first-team All-SEC, second-team All-American, and the SEC Goalkeeper of the Year.[2]

Club career

The Washington Spirit announced on January 9, 2026, that they had signed Wojdelko to her first professional contract on a one-year deal.[10]

Honors and awards

Vanderbilt Commodores

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Vanderbilt University Commencement Program" (PDF). Vanderbilt University. p. 20. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Sara Wojdelko". Vanderbilt Commodores. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e Gerson, Aria (November 20, 2025). "How goalkeeper Sara Wojdelko became key piece for Vanderbilt soccer's NCAA tournament run". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Xu, Vincent (September 18, 2024). "Sara Wojdelko: We over me". The Vanderbilt Hustler. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  5. ^ Olorunfemi, Victor (November 22, 2024). "Vanderbilt Shocks No. 1 Florida State". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  6. ^ "Sara Wojdelko Returning for Final Season". Vanderbilt Commodores. January 30, 2025. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  7. ^ Glennon, John (November 9, 2025). "Vanderbilt women's soccer captures fourth SEC Tournament title". NashvillePost.com. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  8. ^ Gerson, Aria (November 24, 2025). "How Vanderbilt soccer advanced to first Elite Eight ever with win vs LSU". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  9. ^ "2025 Overall Statistics". Southeastern Conference. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  10. ^ "Washington Spirit Signs Goalkeeper Sara Wojdelko from Vanderbilt". Washington Spirit. January 9, 2026. Retrieved January 9, 2026.