Sky Blue FC (3-3-4, 13 points) of the National Women’s Soccer League has officially signed Madison, N.J., native Catherine Zimmerman. The Providence College graduate joins the team as it takes on first-place Portland Thorns FC (6-0-5, 23 points) on the road this Saturday night. To make room on the roster for Zimmerman, Sky Blue FC officially waived goalkeeper Erin Nayler.
Sky Blue welcome Zimmerman
“We are delighted to be able to call up Catherine to the pro team,” said Christy Holly, Sky Blue FC head coach. “She has been training with us for quite some time, so we are very familiar with what she is capable of doing on the field. She gives us an offensive threat and adds some variety into our attack. We are excited to see what she brings over the remainder of the season.”
The Sky Blue are the second NWSL team for Zimmerman as she began the 2016 season on the roster for the Western New York Flash before opting to finish up her education at Providence. Upon graduation, she returned home to New Jersey and began training with Sky Blue FC as a reserve player.
Over her four years at Providence, she led the Friars in points for four consecutive seasons, including a career-high 27 points on 11 goals and five assists during her junior campaign. After being named to the All-Big East Rookie Team as a freshman, she followed that up with All-BIG EAST Second Team honors as a sophomore and back-to-back All-BIG EAST First Team accolades during her final two years in Rhode Island. For her career, she notched 32 goals to go with 12 assists.
Nayler waived
Nayler, a representative of the New Zealand National Team, was officially signed by Sky Blue FC in early May and served as a backup for the New Jersey club over two matches. She did not log any NWSL minutes during her time with the team.
Her release comes as a bit of a surprise since her signing came with some fanfare, and she was viewed as a potential number one goalie for the Sky Blue. However, Caroline Stanley has been solid over the last four matches, thus Holly had no reason to slip Nayler into the lineup. However, she is too talented not to be either re-signed by the Sky Blue or signed by another club seeking goaltending help.