- Nationality
Canada- Birthplace
- Calgary, Alberta
- Most Recent Club
- Vancouver Whitecaps Women
- Post-Secondary Teams
- Trinity Western University Spartans
Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Kristen Funk became one of Canada West’s most decorated goalkeepers and a three-time national champion with the Trinity Western Spartans. She played with Calgary Foothills from 2005 to 2008, most notably under the guidance of Troye Flannery, former Girls Academy Director and former Head Coach of the Club’s WFC UWS Team. Joining TWU in 2008, Kristen immediately established herself as a dependable presence in net, helping the Spartans capture back-to-back CIS national titles in 2008 and 2009. Over her five-year career, she set program standards for excellence, guiding TWU to another championship in 2012 while earning the trust of teammates as both a leader and last line of defense.
By the time she graduated in 2012, Kristen was a three-time All-Canadian, a Canada West Hall of Fame inductee (2019), and later a Trinity Western Hall of Fame honoree (2022). Her career numbers still stand among the best in the conference: 43 wins, 30 shutouts, and a career goals-against average of 0.55, paired with a save percentage of .863. In the words of Canada West archives, she remains “one of the most decorated women’s soccer players in conference history.”
Her peak season came in 2012, when she led Canada West with a stingy 0.33 GAA and nine shutouts, steering TWU to an 11–1 record. In the national final against Queen’s University, Kristen’s composure in a penalty shootout helped secure the Spartans’ third title of her tenure. The Times Colonist praised her heroics, writing: “Kristen Funk showed everyone in attendance… why she was named a CIS first team All-Canadian.”
Outside of university play, Kristen gained further recognition with the Vancouver Whitecaps Women in the USL W-League during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Internationally, she represented Canada at the Universiade, suiting up at the 2011 Shenzhen Games and earning another call-up in 2013 for the Kazan Games. These appearances on the world university stage underlined her status as one of Canada’s elite goalkeepers of her generation.
Today, Kristen Funk remains connected to sport and wellness as a physiotherapist in Calgary, bringing the same focus and resilience that defined her playing days to helping others recover and thrive.