July 18, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
Washington Spirit News Release
Washington, D.C. – The Washington Spirit has signed three players to national team replacement (NTR) contracts, the club announced today. Defender Jenna Butler, goalkeeper Kaylie Collins and forward Olivia Stone will join the Spirit for the 2024 NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup while the club’s senior international players are away for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. All three contracts will expire upon the conclusion of this summer’s FIFA international window.
“While we have five players away at the Olympics this summer, Jenna, Kaylie and Olivia provide needed depth to our roster,” said President of Soccer Operations/General Manager Mark Krikorian. “The upcoming Summer Cup offers a great opportunity for more players to gain valuable match experience and grow in their roles with the club.”
Butler is a DMV native, growing up in nearby Gainesville, Virginia. She attended North Carolina State University from 2018 to 2022 and played five seasons with the Wolfpack women’s soccer team. Starting all 86 matches she appeared in, Butler totaled seven goals and eight assists across 7,777 minutes of action as a defender.
Since joining the Spirit as a training player in late June, Collins has provided depth at the goalkeeper position in training sessions while second-year player Lyza Bosselmann recovers from injury. Since turning pro in 2021, Collins has played with the NWSL’s Orlando Pride and Seattle Reign FC as well as Australia’s Western Sydney Wanderers. She attended the University of Southern California from 2016 to 2021, appearing in 66 matches and recording a 0.83 career goals against average with the Trojans. She is originally from Clayton, California.
Stone comes to the Spirit after most recently finishing her college career at the University of San Diego. Across five seasons of college soccer, Stone appeared in 70 total matches and tallied four goals and six assists at Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University and San Diego. Stone is originally from Austin, Texas.
The Spirit will open group play of the 2024 NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup this weekend when it takes on Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Chivas) Femenil at Chester, Pennsylvania’s Subaru Park on Sunday. Six Liga MX Femenil clubs and all 14 NWSL clubs will take part in this summer’s tournament with the top four group winners advancing to early August’s semifinals in Kansas City. Tickets to Sunday’s opening match…