Makenzy Doniak

Makenzy Allyson Doniak (born February 25, 1994) is an American professional soccer player who currently plays as a forward for the San Diego Wave of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

Early life
Doniak was born to Lori and Dave Doniak, who were both former collegiate athletes at California State University, Long Beach. Doniak was raised in Chino Hills, California, where she attended Ruben S. Ayala High School. Doniak grew up with two older sisters, Kylie and Alyssa, who both played soccer collegiately.

College career
Doniak attended the University of Virginia from 2012 to 2015, appearing in 96 games and scoring 64 goals over the course of her collegiate career. In January 2011, Doniak committed to Virginia. During her freshman season, she appeared in all 24 of Virginia's games, starting 17 of them. She finished as the second-highest scorer on the team, with 10 goals. Doniak also recorded 8 assists and 28 points in total.

As a sophomore, Doniak started in all 26 of Virginia's games and scored 20 goals, which tied UVA's single-season record that Caroline Miller had set the year before. Doniak scored her first career hat trick in November 2013, in a 5–0 victory against Saint Francis. She was a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy and a first-team NCAA All-American in 2013.

In 2014, Doniak appeared in all 26 of Virginia's games, making the starting lineup in all but one. She set the UVA single-season points record, with 51 points, and scored 20 goals for the second year in a row. From October 9 to November 7, Doniak had a seven-game goalscoring streak. She was named as a first-team NSCAA All-American and a member of the NCAA All-Tournament and ACC All-Tournament teams. Once again, she was a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy. Doniak also was recognized on the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

In her final season of college, Doniak played in 20 games. She led the team in assists, tallying 11 throughout the season. Doniak was recognized as the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and a Second-Team NSCAA All-American. She was also part of the NSCAA All-Southeast Region first team and the All-ACC first team. For the second time, Doniak was recognized on the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

Doniak left the Virginia Cavaliers as the career leader in points (164) and goals (64). She had made 96 total appearances in her college career.

Western New York Flash, 2016
Doniak was drafted by Western New York Flash in the 2nd round of the 2016 NWSL College Draft. She was selected 11th overall. Doniak scored her first professional goal on June 11, 2016, in a match against the Orlando Pride. In the 3rd minute of the match, Jessica McDonald sent a through ball to Doniak, who struck the ball off the far post and into the goal. It would be the game-winner in a 1–0 victory over the Pride. On October 2, 2016, Doniak scored in the Flash's semifinal matchup against Portland Thorns FC. On October 9, 2016, Doniak played in the 2016 NWSL Championship as a member of the Flash. She played 80 minutes in the final before being substituted off for Taylor Smith. The Flash went on to win the match, beating Washington Spirit in a penalty shootout. Doniak finished the 2016 season with 22 appearances and 4 goals.

North Carolina Courage 2017–2018
Doniak became a member of the Courage when the Western New York Flash were purchased by the North Carolina FC Organization. She was part of the Courage team that won the 2017 NWSL Shield and advanced to the 2017 Championship Game. Doniak came in as a first half substitute in the final, replacing an injured Taylor Smith. During the match, Doniak played in several unfamiliar positions, first operating out of the midfield and then playing on the backline after an injury to Kristen Hamilton. In the end, the Courage lost to the Portland Thorns FC 1–0. On February 23, 2018, the Courage announced that Doniak had torn her ACL and would miss the entire 2018 season.

Adelaide United (loan), 2017–2018
On October 27, 2017, Doniak was loaned to Australian club Adelaide United as an international player for the 2017–18 W-League season. She scored 7 goals during the season, which led the team in scoring.

Utah Royals FC, 2018–2019
On June 28, 2018, the Utah Royals acquired Doniak from the Courage in a trade that sent the rights for Heather O'Reilly to North Carolina. Doniak made her debut for the Royals on May 11, 2019, against the Houston Dash. She scored her first and only goal for Utah on May 26 in a 2–0 victory over the Orlando Pride. Doniak's goal was a nominee for the NWSL Goal of the Week award, but the accolade was instead won by Bethany Balcer. Doniak made one start in 11 appearances for Utah during the 2019 NWSL season.

Chicago Red Stars, 2020–2021
On December 19, 2019, Doniak was traded to the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for Chicago's second round draft pick in the 2021 NWSL College Draft. Doniak made her club debut in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, appearing as a substitute in the Red Stars' 2–1 defeat to the Washington Spirit on June 27, 2020. The Red Stars ended up progressing to the playoff stages of the Challenge Cup, beating the OL Reign and Sky Blue FC before losing to the Houston Dash in the championship match. Doniak came off the bench in all three games, though she did not take a penalty kick in the quarterfinal shootout against the Reign. She ended the Challenge Cup having played in 7 games for her club.

In 2021, Doniak also participated in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup, playing in 4 matches. The Red Stars did not advance out of the group stage. Doniak made her first regular season appearance with the Red Stars on May 16, 2021. She scored her first goal for the club on May 26, 2021, contributing to a 2–0 victory over Kansas City NWSL. In 2021, the Red Stars advanced to the NWSL Playoffs. Doniak was an unused substitute for both the quarterfinal and semifinal matches, but she entered the Championship match in the 13th minute for an injured Vanessa DiBernardo. The Red Stars were defeated by the Washington Spirit, who came from behind to win the title. Doniak ended the 2021 season with 18 matches under her belt and 3 goals scored.

HB Køge (loan), 2020
On August 14, 2020, the Red Stars announced that Doniak would be starting a loan period with HB Køge, alongside teammate Emily Boyd. Doniak scored 5 goals in her loan spell with the Danish club.

San Diego Wave FC, 2022–present
In December 2021, San Diego Wave FC announced it acquired the rights to Doniak, Mexican international Katie Johnson, and Kelsey Turnbow in a trade with the Chicago Red Stars. Doniak sufered a knee injury in the preseason of 2022 and missed the entire 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. She made her first appearance for the Wave on May 18, 2022, in a defeat to Racing Louisville FC. She came on as a second-half substitute for Sofia Jakobsson. Doniak scored her first goal for the Wave on June 19, 2022. Her goal, assisted by Alex Morgan, was the third in a 3–0 win over NJ/NY Gotham FC. In August 2022, Doniak won the NWSL Player of the Week award after notching 2 assists for her team. Doniak came on as a substitute in both of the Wave's 2022 playoff games, first on October 16 against the Chicago Red Stars and then on October 23 against Portland Thorns FC. Doniak finished the 2022 NWSL season with 18 matches played and 3 goals. On November 18, 2022, the Wave exercised the 2023 option in Doniak's contract.

In 2023, Doniak played 22 games and scored 3 goals. She was the third-highest goalscorer on the San Diego squad. Doniak was a member of the starting lineup for the Wave in the team's semifinal match against the OL Reign. She played 78 minutes in the 1–0 defeat.

Prior to the 2024 NWSL Season, the Wave re-signed Doniak through 2025. On June 7, 2024, Doniak came off the bench and scored for the Wave in a 1–1 draw against the Orlando Pride. It would be Doniak's 8th NWSL goal as a substitute, the most of any player in league history.

Honors
Western New York Flash


 * NWSL Championship: 2016

North Carolina Courage


 * NWSL Shield: 2017, 2018
 * NWSL Championship: 2018

San Diego Wave


 * NWSL Shield: 2023
 * NWSL Challenge Cup: 2024