Rebecca Cooke

Rebecca Ruth Cooke (born 30 October 2002) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for USL Super League club Brooklyn FC. She played college soccer for the Quinnipiac Bobcats, where she led NCAA Division I in goals in 2022, and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Early life

Cooke grew up in Portmarnock, north of Dublin, the oldest of four children born to Martin and Sharon Cooke.

College career

Cooke joined the Quinnipiac Bobcats in the spring of 2021. In her brief freshman season (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), she led the team with four goals in seven games and was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Rookie of the Year. This qualified the team for their first NCAA tournament since 2000, losing to Penn State in the first round. Her tally of 22 goals was the most in the NCAA Division I in 2022, and she was named first-team All-MAAC and third-team All-American.

Club career Shelbourne and Bohemians Cooke joined the first under-17 girls' team at Shelbourne F.C. in 2018, before making her senior debut the next year. Her "wonder goal" against Peamount United in the Women's National League was voted goal of the season for Shelbourne, men or women, in 2019.

When home for the summer during college, Cooke returned to play for Shelbourne in 2021, scoring 2 goals in 1 appearance, and played for Bohemians in 2022, scoring 3 goals in 7 games.

Brooklyn FC

On 21 August 2025, USL Super League club Brooklyn FC announced that the club had signed Cooke before the league's second season. Cooke debuted for the club two days later, coming on as a second-half substitute for Jessica Garziano in Brooklyn's opening-day victory over Tampa Bay Sun FC and going on to make her first start for the team in a 1–1 draw with Spokane Zephyr FC at Maimonides Park on 3 September 2025. She scored the 80th-minute equalizer against DC Power FC in an 18 September league game at Audi Field, after Brooklyn came back from 2–0 down, while her second goal for the club came in the 90th minute of a 4 October game at Maimonides Park versus Sporting JAX only to see the visitors draw the game 3–3 with a 95th-minute equalizer. Cooke's performances throughout October earned her a spot on the USL Super League Team of the Month.

In July 2026, Brooklyn FC revealed that Cooke had sustained an ACL injury which would keep her from competing in the upcoming USLS fall season.

International career

Cooke played for the Republic of Ireland's youth national team in 2019 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship qualification, scoring in a 1–1 draw with Norway, and 2020 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship qualification, though the latter was suspended midway due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was first named to the senior squad for their friendly against Belgium in January 2019, although she was unused in the game.

Career statistics

Honors and awards

Quinnipiac Bobcats Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference: 2022 MAAC tournament: 2022

Individual USL Super League All-League Second Team: 2025–26 Third-team All-American: 2022 First-team All-MAAC: 2021, 2022 NCAA Division I goals leader: 2022