Canberra United has signed American defender Kaleigh Kurtz on a season-long loan, just two weeks after she won back-to-back NWSL titles with the North Carolina Courage.
The 25-year-old defender was a college soccer standout with the University of South Carolina, before signing with the Courage at the start of the 2018 season.
The South Carolina native has started in 15 games for the Courage over the past two seasons, becoming a defensive stalwart for the NWSL side.
But after tasting success in her home country, Kurtz is hoping to bring her championship winning mentality to the nation’s capital.
“I am super excited for the upcoming season, this is my first time in Australia so it’s a great opportunity to develop, both as a soccer player and as a person,” Kurtz said.
“The mentality that we have at the Courage is not always results oriented, we believe if we can work on getting better every single day then the results will come.
“Hopefully I can bring that mentality to the squad and we can all push each other to improve each day.”
Canberra United head coach Heather Garriock said Kurtz’ winning record speaks for itself.
“Kurtz’s leadership qualities are fantastic, she is a great communicator, plays with both feet and is solid down back,” Garriock said.
“She is coming straight from winning back-to-back championships so it’s great to have someone with a winning mentality come into our squad that knows what it takes to win.”
If you want to #GoGreen with Kaleigh, Season 12 memberships and tickets are now on sale on the Canberra United website. Be sure to purchase yours in time for our Round One clash with Perth Glory at McKellar Park on this Sunday, 17th November.
Canberra United Squad |
Goalkeepers: Shamiran KHAMIS, Annalee GROVE
Defenders: Taren KING, Nikola ORGILL (c), Jessie RASSCHAERT, Patricia CHARALAMBOUS, Kaleigh KURTZ
Midfielders: Karly ROESTBAKKEN, Olivia PRICE, Laura HUGHES, Emma STANBURY, Rebekah HORSEY
Forwards: Elise THORSNES, Hayley TAYLOR-YOUNG, Leena KHAMIS, Katie STENGEL, Simone CHARLEY, Ashlie CROFTS
