ORLANDO, Fla. (October 18, 2016) - Orlando Pride forward Jasmyne Spencer will return to Australia for her third consecutive season in the Westfield W-League, joining Canberra United after spending her first two seasons at Sydney FC. In addition, midfielder Sam Witteman was loaned to Apollon Limassol, joining the Cypriot First Division side for a short stint.
Spencer, 26, made her first appearance in the W-League in the 2014-15 season with Sydney FC and would go on to be named the club’s Player of the Year. After scoring eight goals in her first season, the Bay Shore, N.Y. native returned to Sydney for the 2015-16 season and helped lead the team to the Grand Final, falling to Melbourne City FC in the championship match.
Spencer, who is currently in contract discussions with Orlando for the 2017 season, was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NWSL Expansion Draft and scored four goals in her first season with the Pride, including a stoppage-time winner on June 23 against Houston.
Witteman, 22, joined Apollon for UEFA Champions League play, with the team in the Round of 32. The rookie scored two goals in four minutes during the second leg of a series against SK Slavia Praha, but a 4-3 series defeat knocked Apollon out of Champions League play and ended Witteman’s time with the club.
Witteman was drafted by Orlando with the No. 10 pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft after a standout career at Cal Berkeley. In her first professional campaign, she was a versatile player for the Pride, appearing in 16 matches (12 starts) and totaling 1070 minutes.
The Pride will kickoff the Club’s second season in a brand new home, Orlando’s newly-built, soccer-specific venue located in the heart of downtown Orlando. Season tickets for the 2017 Pride season are now on sale.
