Janine Szpara

Janine Marie Szpara (born January 11, 1967) is an American former soccer player and coach who played as a goalkeeper, making six appearances for the United States women's national team.

Janine Szpara
Personal information
Full name Janine Marie Szpara[1]
Date of birth (1967-01-11) January 11, 1967[2]
Place of birth Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2]
Position(s) Goalkeeper[2]
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1988 Colorado College Tigers 78 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–199? Shiroki FC Serena
199?–1999 Takarazuka Bunnys Ladies SC
1997 Norcal Shockwaves
2000 Foothill FC
2001 Bay Area CyberRays 1 (0)
National team
1986–1987 United States 6 (0)
Teams managed
1989–1990 Stanford Cardinal (assistant)
1990–1992 California Golden Bears (assistant)
Shiroki FC Serena (assistant)
2000 Cornell Big Red (assistant)
2002 Santa Clara Broncos (assistant)
2003 San Jose State Spartans (assistant)
2004–2006 Warner Pacific Knights (associate HC)
2004–2010 Tualatin Hills United SC
2008–2011 Portland State Vikings (assistant)
2011–2012 Portland Rain
2011– Clackamas Cougars
2014– Portland Thorns Academy
2016– FC Mulhouse Portland
2018 St. Mary's Blues (assistant)
2018 St. Mary's Blues JV
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

In college, Szpara played for the Colorado College Tigers from 1985 to 1988, with the team's best result in 1986 as NCAA runners-up. She was selected as an NSCAA First-Team All-American in all four seasons, and in 1988 was the ISAA Goalkeeper of the Year.[3] She was also included in the Senior Recognition Team in 1988. In total, she made 78 appearances for the Tigers. She holds the record for the most shutouts at the school, with 46 during her career, along with the best save percentage and fewest average goals conceded.[4]

Szpara made her international debut for the United States on July 20, 1986 in the Mundialito against China PR. In total, she made six appearances for the U.S., earning her final cap on July 11, 1987 in the 1987 North America Cup against Norway.[2]

In club soccer, Szpara played for Shiroki FC Serena and Takarazuka Bunnys Ladies SC in Japan from 1995 to 1999, and was selected to the league's All-Star Team in 1998. She also played in the WPSL for the Norcal Shockwaves in 1997 and Foothill FC in 2001. She played for the Bay Area CyberRays during the 2001 WUSA season, replacing the injured Jen Mead,[5] with the team ultimately winning the WUSA championship.[6] She made one appearance for the CyberRays during the season.[7]

Szpara later began to work as a coach, holding a U.S. Soccer 'A' license and primarily focusing on goalkeeper training.[8] She worked as an assistant for the Stanford Cardinal from 1989 to 1999 and the California Golden Bears in 1992. While playing in Japan, she also began to coach at Shiroki FC Serena. After returning to the U.S., she worked as an assistant for the Cornell Big Red in 2000, Santa Clara Broncos in 2002, San Jose State Spartans in 2003, and Warner Pacific Knights as an associate head coach from 2004 to 2006. From 2008 to 2011, she worked as an assistant for the Portland State Vikings, before becoming the head coach of the Portland Rain club team, where she remained until 2012,[9] and Clackamas Cougars collegiate team in 2011.[10][11] In 2018, Szpara coached at St. Mary's Academy in Portland, Oregon, working as the assistant for the varsity team and head coach of the junior varsity team.[12][13] In youth soccer, she worked as a coach for the Olympic Development Program in California from 1989 to 1992, and in Oregon from 2006 to 2017. She was the coordinator for the Cornell Youth Camp from 2002 to 2004, and worked at Oregon Youth Soccer as well as Tualatin Hills United Soccer Club, where she was an assistant director and the coach of various boys' youth teams. She has also worked in various roles at the youth clubs Portland Spartans FC/FC Mulhouse Portland and Portland Thorns Academy.[14][15]

Szpara has traveled to coach youth soccer as a sports envoy for the U.S. State Department,[16] having led clinics in Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, and Vietnam.[17][18][19][20][21]

Szpara was inducted into the Colorado College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995. She was also inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2006 as a member of the 1986 women's soccer team. In 2017, she was inducted into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame.[11]

Personal life

Though born in Chicago,[22] Szpara grew up in San Jose, California, and attended Valley Christian High School.[23] She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history from Colorado College in 1989.[1]

Career statistics

International
United States[2]
YearAppsGoals
198640
198720
Total60

References
  1. "108th Annual Commencement" (PDF). Colorado College. May 15, 1989. p. 7. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  2. "2019 U.S. Women's National Team Media Guide" (PDF). United States Soccer Federation. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  3. "Women's Soccer Awards" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  4. "2016 Colorado College Women's Soccer Media Guide" (PDF). Colorado College Tigers. 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  5. "WUSA Notes: Chastain suspended, Fawcett has another girl". Soccer America. June 5, 2001. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  6. "The Fearless Soccer Staff: Janine Szpara". Fearless Soccer. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  7. "Janine Szpara". Stats Crew. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  8. "Janine Szpara". Portland State Vikings. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  9. "Bernard Sandoval Named to Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2017". Sandia Marketing and Advertising. May 31, 2017. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  10. "Szpara to take reins of Clackamas Soccer". Northwest Athletic Conference. Oregon City, Oregon. March 10, 2011. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  11. "Janine Szpara" (PDF). Colorado Springs Sports. 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  12. "Go Blues! 2018 Fall Sports Set to Launch". St. Mary's Academy. 2018. Archived from the original on August 22, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  13. "2018 Soccer State Championships" (PDF). St. Mary's Academy. 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  14. "Spartans FC welcomes Janine Szpara as new Girls Academy Director". FC Mulhouse Portland. April 26, 2016. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  15. "Portland Spartans FC Rebrands as FC Mulhouse Portland". International Soccer Network. February 20, 2017. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  16. "Sports and Public Diplomacy Envoys 2005–2017". Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  17. "US/Singapore Soccer Exchange Programme". Womens Soccer United. December 8, 2012. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  18. "Janine Sparza: The Importance of Sports and Education (Sports Diplomacy)". U.S. Embassy in Guatemala. August 13, 2017. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  19. "Malaysia America Soccer Exchange Program" (PDF). The International Center. 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  20. Sophia, Kate (July 13, 2016). "Katie Bethke Selected as Sports Envoy to Support She Wins Mexico". FiftyFive.One. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2019. Alt URL
  21. "Former CC standouts still making a difference". Colorado College Tigers. January 12, 2011. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  22. "Janine Szpara". Women's United Soccer Association. Archived from the original on October 7, 2001. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  23. Anschutz, Chuck (August 18, 1988). "Young Soccer Players Learn From the Best While Attending Camp at Kennesaw State". The Atlanta Constitution. p. G20. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
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