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Washington Spirit

Washington Spirit Acquire Elise Kellond-Knight in Trade with Reign FC

July 15, 2019 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Washington Spirit News Release


Boyds, Md. - The Washington Spirit has acquired defender/midfielder Elise Kellond-Knight from Reign FC in exchange for goalkeeper Sammy Jo Prudhomme.

Kellond-Knight joins the Spirit with numerous accolades accrued over a career spanning eleven years, beginning in the Australian W-League with the Brisbane Roar. In her first year with Brisbane, Kellond-Knight earned the W-League's Young Player of the Year award.

Kellond-Knight played with the Roar for seven years, from 2008 to 2015, while also having stints with Fortuna Hjørring of the Elitedivisionen and Iga FC Kunoichi of the Nadeshiko League.

After leaving Brisbane, Kellond-Knight spent time at Frauenfußballclub Turbine Potsdam in Germany and Hammarby in Sweden before returning to the W-League with Melbourne City in 2018.

Most recently, Kellond-Knight joined the ranks of the NWSL after being signed to Reign FC in September of 2018 for the 2019 season.

Internationally, Kellond-Knight has had an award-laden career with the Matildas or Australia. Kellond-Knight was named to the All-Star XI in both the 2011 World Cup and the 2015 World Cup for her strong performances in both tournaments. The Australian scored a memorable goal in the Matildas' round of 16 game against Norway, scoring directly off of a corner-kick.

The defender/midfielder has made 109 appearances for the Matildas thus far in her career, with her 100th cap coming against England during a friendly last October.

Spirit head coach Richie Burke had this to say on the Spirit's new addition: "I'm absolutely thrilled to add another World Cup player to our roster for the remainder of the 2019 campaign. Elise is one of those incredibly experienced players with over a century of international caps to her name, a veteran of 3 World Cups with the Matildas and a player who can play in multiple roles for our club."

"[Kellond-Knight] was brought in to give us flexibility and balance in midfield, but she is quite adept at left-back too and has a very educated left foot. I can't wait to integrate her into our squad and hope to get her into the team with immediate effect. This is a fantastic acquisition for our club and bringing a player of this caliber to the Spirit for the second part of the season is a major coup."

Prudhomme departs from the Spirit after first being signed after this year's pre-season camp. Prudhomme did not make an NWSL appearance during her time with the Spirit.

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