Washington Spirit goalie Kelsey Wys is a player on loan with Australian club Newcastle Jets. In her NWSL offseason, she tore her ACL this weekend in a match against Perth Glory. After receiving the ball in a game, she awkwardly fell on her right knee and scans confirmed yesterday of the painful tear.
Wys' time with the NWSL
In the 2015 NWSL season, Wys was traded to the Washington Spirit and started in 11 games. Last November, she even re-signed her contract with the Spirit for the 2016 season. This past season she started in 12 games for the NWSL runner-ups, making endless saves for the team.
Before the Spirit, Wys played with the Western New York Flash in 2014.
A word from the coach
With the news of Wys' injury, head coach Craig Dean of Newcastle Jets Westfield W-League states:
“Obviously we are very disappointed for Kelsey. She has been a positive influence on the team for a short period of time that she has been here and it’s never nice to see a professional player to suffer a long-term injury.”
Another downfall for the Spirit
With the recent trade of Spirit players such as Ali Krieger to the Orlando Pride, Christine Nairn to Seattle Reign, and Megan Oyster to the Boston Breakers, the Spirit has great shoes to fill.
Along with these significant trades of valuable players, this is the third ACL injury of Spirit players within this season. Cali Farquharson also tore her ACL in September in a season match against Seattle Reign. During the NWSL Final against the WNY Flash, Caprice Dydasco tore her ligament as well.
A road to recovery for the Spirit
With Wys' injury, she will be on an average 6-9 month recovery. Her loan season, although extremely short, has come to an end. Her season with the Spirit will be determined depending on her progress in recovery.
Wys' head coach concludes:
“We will miss not only her playing ability but also her personality off the field and in the change room. We wish her all the best for recovery and hope to see her back playing for Washington next season."