(Photo by Tommy Cardinal / New Day Review)
Three Orlando Pride players are going overseas during the National Women’s Soccer League offseason. According to a team press release on Tuesday, left-back Steph Catley, defender Toni Pressley and forward Rachel Hill will all travel to Australia to play in the Westfield W-League.
Catley will, again, play for the league’s defending champs, Melbourne City FC. Pressley will play her first season with Canberra United FC, and Hill will play with Perth Glory FC. Fellow Pride forward Jasmyne Spencer played for Canberra last season.
“It’s always a positive when our players are able to continue getting valuable game time during the NWSL offseason,” Pride head coach Tom Sermanni said, per the release. “It will be great for Steph to continue with Melbourne where she has played an important role in the last two seasons, and I know Toni will go in and be a leader for Canberra. Rachel will get invaluable experience overseas, both in football and in a new culture, but will also have the opportunity to learn from perhaps the best striker in the world right now, Sam Kerr.”
This will be Catley’s third season with Melbourne City, as she’s led the W-League side to consecutive championships over the past two seasons. She was also the squad’s team captain in the 2016-17 season. Catley had two assists and played 2,120 minutes while starting all 24 of her appearances this season. She was named to the 2017 NWSL Second XI and was also a finalist for the NWSL Defender of the Year.
As for Pressley, she started 14 of her 19 appearances and recorded a goal and an assist in 2017. Her Week 13 goal won her goal of the week honors. This is Pressley’s second stint overseas, as she previously played for Russian side Ryazan VDV in 2012.
Hill was a pleasant addition for the Pride, as she scored three goals in her rookie season. Her first goal was an 86th-minute game-winner over at Sky Blue FC on June 28. Hill will join Kerr, the 2017 NWSL Golden Boot winner, in Perth, as the Australian side looks to rebound from its league-final loss to Melbourne City last season.
Catley and Melbourne City will travel to face Hill and Perth on Friday at 7 a.m. EST. Pressley and Canberra will play Melbourne Victory FC on Saturday at 1:30 a.m. EST.
For more on the Pride, as they look to revamp and prepare for the 2018 season after their semifinal exit in 2017, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
